The dark Prince
by ChibiChibi
Summary: Sequel to my DBZBtVS Crossover There will always be hope. An old enemy has turned up and this time it is up to the Scoobies to go to the ZDimension and to help the ZWarriors to defeat a new threat. *slightly edited*
1. Prologue

**The dark Prince**

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners Akira Toriyama and Joss Whedon. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_This is the sequel to my first DBZ/GT/BtVS Crossover… I hope you'll enjoy this story! And please, be so nice and leave a review! __J_

_ChibiChibi_

* * *

**Prologue**

It was night, dark clouds were hanging in the sky, shielding any light that the stars or the moon could have thrown on earth. It had rained recently and the smell of water mixed with grass and earth was still hanging in the now fresh air. It was almost completely silent. Almost.

Fast heavy footsteps could be heard on the wet ground and a dark figure could be seen running past several headstones and crypts. When the cloud cover tore open a bit, the light of the almost full moon was shining down to the cemetery and you could see that the figure was a young man. He turned his head around again and again, as if afraid of being followed by someone. And indeed in addition to his footsteps others could be heard, lighter and faster ones.

Running around a corner he almost slipped on the moist grass, more sliding than running and lost the balance, but fortunately for him didn't fall. It took him just a bit to regain his composure, helping his follower to catch up to him. He turned his head again to see how close his pursuer was and he was surprised to see that she almost had him.

Long brown hair was flying in the wind, some of it was sticking to her sweaty face, her breathing had become fast during the chase and her blood was pumping wildly through her veins. But she was close – she smiled – she almost had him. When she saw how close he really was, she fastened her pace one last time and tackled him down when she finally reached him. He struggled, trying to break free, but just managed to shove her off and get up, before she swiped him off his legs again. She got up again and pulled a pointy wooden object out of her jeans, which she imbedded in his chest, before he had a chance to get on his feet again. She pulled it out again and the man exploded in a cloud of dust.

After taking a few deep breaths she got up again and dusted herself off, before she could hear other footsteps coming closer. She turned around and saw three persons running up to her. "Dawn!" one of them shouted and Dawn rolled with her eyes, waiting for them to arrive. When they finally did a young blond woman walked up to her with a scowl on her face. "Dawn! What was that for?"

"What?" she asked annoyed. "I got him!"

"But did you have to chase him over the whole cemetery to do that?" the blond woman asked her exasperated. "You know that you could have gotten him much faster than that if you just had flown!"

"I know, Buffy," Dawn said. "But where is the fun when it's over that fast?"

"The Nibblet is right, luv," a young man with bleach blond hair said.

Buffy groaned. "Spike, not you too! Please Faith, tell me that you're on my side…"

"I'm sorry, B," the young woman with the long dark hair, Faith, answered. "I already told you a few years ago that slaying is what we're built for. If you're not enjoying it, you're doing something wrong. But I can see that our little Dawnie here knows how to have fun."

"And now you'll start with all the grunting again and tell me that I will get turned on, when I've slain a few vampires," Buffy guessed. "What I definitely won't."

"You're sure about that, pet?" Spike couldn't help but ask chuckling. "As far as I remember you could never get enough of me after a hot night of slaying." He immediately regretted saying this because of the angry glare Buffy was giving him.

"Oh god, please… No mental images," Dawn whined. "It's hard enough to know that my sister and her boyfriend have sex, but that they actually talk about it in front of me is just so eww."

"Is that so, Dawn?" her sister countered smirking. "Aren't you the one to say that you're old enough to know everything?"

"Of course I am!" she argued. "I'm sixteen years old and old enough to explore my own sexuality, but it's still disturbing to hear you talking about yours. But now let's go home. I'm all sweaty and dirty and in desperate need of a shower." Without saying more Dawn turned around and walked towards the entrance of the cemetery, Buffy being hot on her heels.

"You wouldn't be all sweaty and dirty if you hadn't chased that vampire and what were you talking about with exploring your own sexuality? Do you have a boyfriend I don't know about?"

Hearing the two sisters bickering in the distance Spike had to chuckle again and looked at Faith. "Well, pet. What do you think? Should we follow them?"

Faith grinned. "I think we should do that, before they kill each other…"

Little did they notice, when they were walking away that they had been watched the whole time. A vampire was standing behind the bushes, game face on, holding a green amulet in his hands, which glowing slowly subsided. Smirking he retreated into the forest and left as well.

About half an hour later he arrived in an old factory in the bad part of Sunnydale, where a few vamps were either sitting around or working on one thing or another. Ignoring all of them he determinedly made his way over to a small room in the back. This room looked completely different from the rest of the factory – it looked actually inhabitable. There was a king sized bed with blood red sheets, a chest of drawers, some shelves, which were all occupied by different kinds of dolls and a desk, where a dark haired woman was sitting at. He cleared his throat, getting her attention. She turned her around, her pale face standing out to the dark hair and blood red dress she was wearing and looked at him questioningly. "Have you found it, the green glowing thingy?" she wanted to know.

The vampire smirked triumphantly. "Oh yes, I have. Just like you said. The amulet reacted to the Slayer's sister…"

She clapped her hands in excitement and turned back to the tarot cards on the table, putting another one on it. "Miss Edith told me that it is here and Miss Edith is never wrong," she said in a singsong voice. "The stars say that it won't be long until I will finally be with my dark prince…"

"The stars are right," the vampire agreed, used to the craziness of the dark-haired beauty. "We have the spell and in a few days the moon will draw a full circle. The only thing we still need is the Key to carry the ritual out."

"Don't worry about the Key. It will be there for the ritual, trust me…" Her voice faded, when she began again to concentrate on the tarot cards in front of her and the vampire took this as a sign and left the room.


	2. The message

**Chapter 1: The Message**

"Dawn!" Buffy yelled, standing at the foot of the stairs with her arms crossed over her chest, looking quite sourly. She hated this, she really did. It was always the same. Every morning she would stand there and wait for her sister to show up. But said sister was, as usual, late and she couldn't explain why. It had all started two or three months ago.

After she had come back a bit more than one year ago, Buffy wanted to spend as much time with Dawn as possible, went with her to the Bronze, took her out for slaying with the rest of the Scoobies as often as her sister wanted to come with them - also to see how good she really was – and much other sister-stuff.

She wanted to use the time that they had, because even though she knew she had gotten much stronger since her death there were still demons somewhere out there who were stronger. Sure she had ties to the world, but that hadn't kept her from dying the other two times and more importantly at that time Buffy had felt bad about the whole 'I-almost-killed-my-sister-and-friends-stuff' and wanted to make it up to her – to them.

This all had started to sink in a few weeks after everything had been over and the Saiyajins had left this dimension to go home. It took them a bit, but as time passed her friends could finally convince her that they held no grudge against her – that everything had been the Council's doing. But she soon noticed that Dawn was tired every morning she got up so Buffy restricted slaying or going out with her to the weekends or early evenings.

"Dawn!"

Life had her back. Spike had moved in at 1630 Revello Drive, they both found a job after the Council had given Spike, err William, a complete personal record including High School and College diploma and Buffy a plausible explanation as to why she hadn't been in Sunnydale for six months, leaving her sister in care of her friends and Giles. She even had again time to continue studying. She had agreed with her boss that in the morning she could go to College and in the afternoon, evening or night go to work. Everything was perfect – almost.

"Dawn!"

Just a few seconds later she finally saw her sister coming down the stairs, dressed in a pair of light blue jeans and a tight dark green top. "Jeez, Buffy… I'm already here…"

"But that doesn't change anything at the fact that you're late again. Xander will arrive any second and you didn't have any breakfast," Buffy told her.

As if on cue the front door opened and Xander stepped inside. "Good morning… Dawn, are you ready to go?"

"Sure," the younger Summers woman smiled. "Don't worry, Buffy. I'll buy something at school and tomorrow I'll try to get up on time. Bye!" Waving at her sister, she walked past Xander to the car.

"Don't be so hard on her, Buff… She's a typical teenager," Xander said smiling. "Well, gotta go now! See ya!"

After Xander was also gone, Buffy closed the door and leaned against it. She sighed and almost jumped up, when she heard a voice next to her. "You know, Harris is right. The Bit is a typical teenager."

"I know…" Buffy looked up and saw her boyfriend standing next to her, sweat glistening on his face. He was dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt and wore a towel around his neck. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here."

She groaned. "You know what I mean. Have you already finished your morning work-out?"

"Yeah. I thought that since you don't have classes this morning and I also have to start later today we could have some time for us…" He bent down to kiss her, but Buffy moved her head away.

"I'm sorry, Spike… I can't. Not today," she whispered.

"Okay, Buffy… Tell me what's wrong?" He lifted his hand up to her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. "What's going on? Is it the Nibblet?"

She nodded and lowered her eyes, breaking the eye contact. "It's nothing… Just… Social Services called yesterday. They want to meet me this morning to talk to me. I don't even know what they want to talk to me about. It's probably nothing."

"I think you're right. They have been quiet for all those last months and probably just want to do one of their regular checks. Don't worry pet. It's going to be alright."

"I hope so…" She leaned forward so that their foreheads touched. "Just don't tell Dawn about it, okay? I don't want to worry her."

"Sure… I have her in PE this afternoon, but I won't tell her anything." He kissed her on the forehead and then held her at arm lengths. "And now put a smile on your face and show those people there what a true Summers woman is."

* * *

"Wait a minute… Can you please repeat that?" Buffy asked dumbfounded. She was sitting in an office in front of a middle-aged plump red haired woman, wearing a nametag saying that the woman's name was Ms. Kroger.

"Well, Miss Summers, it's true. The school reported to us that Dawn is slacking off in school. They say that she is almost permanently tired and even falls asleep during class," Ms. Kroger told her.

"But… I mean she is a typical teenager… Things like that happen. So what? She dozed off one or two times in school and you want to tell me that I don't take enough care of her?" Buffy shook her head. "Of course I've noticed that she has problems getting up in the mornings, but I'm sure that other kids of her age have the same problems."

"I'm sorry to tell you, but this 'dozing off' as you call it hasn't just happened once. This has happened quite often in the last two months. Do you let her stay up late at night?"

"Yes, I mean… No… Just at weekends. When she has school the next day one of my friends or I take care that she gets to bed in time," Buffy explained.

"I see." Ms. Kroger took some notes and then turned back at Buffy. "You or one of your friends… The same friends who have been taking care of Dawn while you were 'gone'?"

"Yes, the same friends. Uhm, you know that when I was gone it was something I had to do. I never planned on leaving – at least not that sudden – but my job didn't leave me a choice. Leaving Dawn was the hardest thing I had to do, especially after the death of our mother."

"I see," she just said again and wrote something down in her notebook.

"Please, you have to understand… I love Dawn and I would never do anything that could harm her in any way," Buffy almost whispered.

"Miss Summers, I don't doubt that you love your sister. I doubt that you're qualified of being able to replace a parent. With your job and college you just don't have enough time to raise her in a proper way. According to our records you often let your friends look after her, while you're doing just god knows what. If that doesn't change…"

"But…" she wanted to contradict, but a severe look of Ms. Kroger shut her up. Buffy lowered her head, the words she said next sounded defeated. "I understand…"

* * *

Kick. Punch. Punch.

She had failed.

Kick.

No, not as Slayer – as sister, as responsible adult.

Roundhouse kick. Punch.

She had failed Dawn. They didn't say it, but she knew that it was just a matter of time until they'd take her away. Pull her out of the only family she had ever known.

Punch.

No matter what she would do from now on, she couldn't repair the damage she had already caused. They were breathing down her neck, waiting for her to make one wrong move. From now on she could just do one thing – trying to buy as much time as possible before the inevitable would happen. Before she would lose her sister.

Kick.

Panting hard, she stopped the punching bag with her hands and leaned with her forehead against it. No, she wouldn't cry. Not now, not here, not ever. She had to be strong, strong to survive the next days and maybe even weeks – depending on how long they would have to wait until they decided that there was a better place for Dawn. She was desperate. Why was life always so hard on her? Why couldn't she have one moment without having to worry about anything? She had given her life for the one of her sister and now they want to tear them apart! This was just not fair!

She drew her arm back and with one last punch her fist embedded itself in the punching back. The pure force of her Slayer strength tore the from the previous beating already strained chains and let the bag fly a few meters.

The clapping of hands echoed through the otherwise empty gym, letting Buffy jump around startled. In the entrance stood a tall man with short black hair, wearing a blue police uniform. "Not bad, Summers," he said in an arrogant voice.

Buffy sighed exasperated, not wanting to deal with him now. "What do you want, Eric?"

"I'm here to tell you that you're late for work and that the chief is already more than a bit pissed. He wants to talk to you right away," he told her smirking.

Her eyes quickly drifted to the clock at the wall and she started to curse. He was right. She was late. Almost an hour already! How could she let herself go like this? Throwing one last look to the remnants of the punching bag, she stormed past this Eric and went into the changing room.

"Tsk, tsk… I think someone is in for a double shift today…" Eric whispered, when Buffy was out of earshot.

About half an hour later Buffy was sitting at a desk in the office, now, like almost everyone else in there wearing a blue uniform. She just got out of the chief's office and now had to make a call. She picked up the receiver and dialed a well-known number. "Yes, hello? This is Buffy Summers here. I would like to speak to William Ferrington… Okay, I wait." She waited for a few seconds, the whole time nervously tapping with her fingers on the desk, until she finally heard the voice on the other end of the line she so desperately needed to hear. "Hey Spike, it's me… Yes, I'm okay… I'm sorry, but I don't have time right now to talk about this. I'm just calling to let you know that I have to work longer tonight… Yeah, that would be great… No, Dawn should stay at home. It's a school's night. The best is you call one of the others, who could stay with her… I know that she isn't a small girl anymore… Please Spike, just do it, okay?" She sighed. "Thanks… So, I really gotta work now… I love you, too. Bye." Putting the receiver back on its handle she took a deep breath, leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes. Of course Spike wanted to know about the appointment with Ms. Kroger, but she wasn't ready yet. She didn't want to, but she knew that she had to tell them, all of them, eventually. She just needed some time. Just some time…

"Hey Summers!" She opened her eyes, when she heard the voice again she absolutely didn't want to hear and saw Eric standing directly in front of her. "You don't have time to sleep. Our patrol car is waiting."

Biting her lips to keep herself from giving him a smart-ass comeback, she followed him outside. Why had she of all people here in the station gotten _him_ as partner? He was the only officer with whom she had problems, so why this arrogant asshole? She sometimes even silently wished that one of the creatures of the night would seek him out as its next victim – just to make herself feel better of course, when she was again pissed at him. She would of course save him, if a demon ever attacked him. She was the Chosen One and as Chosen One it was her job to protect the innocents. And besides, it wouldn't go well with her conscience if she let some demon kill her partner. He was a good cop after all…

* * *

When Spike put the receiver back on its handle, he silently wondered what had been wrong with Buffy. Even though she didn't say anything, he knew from the sound of her voice when something was bothering her. He instantly got a bad feeling about the meeting with one of the social workers. What if the meeting hadn't gone as planned?

He shook his head. It was probably just the fact that she had to work longer than expected today. He knew that Buffy liked her job, no matter what she said or how often she complained about it or about her partner, this Eric-guy, but she hated it, when something unexpected happened and she had to stay longer.

He remembered once being told about the career day at the school, where she had been assigned in the law enforcement group. The job as Officer Summers suited her really well, much better than the other job she had for a few weeks, before the Council pulled their strings and got her enrolled at the Sunnydale Police Academy, anyway. For those few weeks she had been the girl behind the desk of Sunnydale's most famous fast food restaurant – The Doublemeat Palace.

Well, he should go now and tell the Nibblet that Buffy would come home later than planned and that he would go alone on patrol this night. He would most likely be able to catch her in front of her next classroom, or he had to wait until he had her class in PE.

That was also something that he never thought would happen – becoming a teacher at the newly rebuilt Sunnydale High, after the other High School in Sunnydale, the Wilkins High, which had been the replacement for the Sunnydale High during the reconstruction, had been destroyed in an 'accident', involving some really nasty demons, which had had the habit to self-destruct, when they got annoyed, a few months ago. The Council thought that this job might 'fit' him, especially with the classes he taught – PE and History. And after having thought about it for a few days he came to the conclusion that almost no other living person had the knowledge of history, since he had been there during the most important events in the last hundred or so years and PE, well, no real explanation needed. After becoming human again, he and Angel had kept their vampire abilities like strength and speed and they somehow even got more enhanced with the newly developed humanity. They were now something like male Slayers.

And now here he was, working at the Sunnydale High and teaching History and PE to a whole bunch of teenagers, including the Slayer's 'kid'-sister Dawn. Like this he could keep an eye on her _and_ on the Hellmouth.

* * *

"Well then, goodnight Summers! I'll see ya tomorrow!" Eric said, smirking triumphantly, as he left the police station. Buffy had to fight the urge to say something or to go after him and gave him a beating that would teach him to shut up, but she couldn't do that. He was still human and Slayer attacking humans equals bad. At least she now didn't have to deal with him until the next day. She looked at the clock and sighed, hoping that she would be out of there in about two hours, after she had finished the last office stuff she still had to do as some kind of punishment for her tardiness.

Eric had had a really good day so far. He always had a good day, when he managed to get Buffy Summers worked up. It was some kind of vengeance for him to always be outclassed in everything by a _girl_, who was more than one head shorter than him. But at the same time he loved to see her like this. Seeing the energy sparkling like that in her, the fire in her eyes, got him turned on and if it weren't for this boyfriend of hers, he would have already tried to get a good lay with her.

While walking home and musing about his day's achievements, he never noticed how suddenly a shadow appeared behind him, so he never got the chance to defend himself or even to scream, when a cold hand clasped over his mouth, pulling him away from the street into the bushes. He tried to break free, but the iron grip on his mouth and now also around his hands was too strong.

"Hush," he heard a soft female voice saying. "When you're a good boy, mommy won't hurt you…"

No one heard the muffled scream, when Eric caught a glance of his captor's golden eyes.

* * *

Finally, the last cemetery for today and then he could go back. Buffy must be already home, he hoped. Probably sitting on the couch, snuggled up in a warm blanket and watching some old movie on TV with Faith, who he had been able to convince to watch after Dawn, even though the teenager was more than a bit annoyed, saying the whole time that she didn't need a babysitter. After the other Slayer had graduated from High School not even one year ago and started College, she had moved out of the Summers' household into the dorm of the UCS, but spent every so often a night in her old home, for example after a long night of research, when the house in 1630 Revello Drive had been nearer than the campus or when, like now, she stayed with Dawn.

Spike just wanted to turn around to leave the cemetery, when he heard a rustling behind him. He tightened his grip on the stake and jumped around, ready to attack, but stopped dead in his tracks, when he saw, who had caused the noises. "Dru?" he asked stunned.

"Hello William," Drusilla said softly, stepping nearer. "Isn't the night beautiful for a hunt?"

"What do you want?" Spike wanted to know, his whole body tensed.

"My sweet William…" She took another step nearer and raised her hand to his face, but Spike didn't move, when she stroked his cheek, completely entranced by her. "What has become of my dark knight? Your skin, it's darker," Her hand moved down to his chest, "Your heart, it's beating and I can hear, feel the blood pumping through your veins." She sniffed in the air. "The Slayer, she's still all over you…"

By the mention of his girlfriend Spike broke out of his trance and shoved Drusilla roughly away from him. He raised the stake again. "Stay back," he threatened.

"Oh yes, I can see her… in your head, in your heart… You can't and you don't want to be changed… You don't want to be what you once were… But that doesn't matter anymore…"

"What are you talking about Dru?" he asked suspiciously, not liking at all the way she talked.

"I'm talking about my dark prince… Miss Edith and the stars told me that I will be with him soon… Just one small thing is still standing in the way…" She giggled. "But shhh…"

"Dru, I tell you something. Leave the town and come never back and I'll let you live… Otherwise…"

"No, you can't… But you can give your Slayer a message. Tell her I have something she might want back and that she will get it back, when she comes to where you had your first fight… when it's dark." She steps again nearer, completely ignoring the stake in her ex-lover's hand and gave him a light kiss on the lips. "Goodbye my William…"

Spike just stood there motionless, watching how Drusilla walked away and became one with the shadows.


	3. Secrets

**Chapter 2: Secrets**

Directly after Drusilla had disappeared in the darkness, Spike felt his body finally relaxing. His hand dropped and he lost the grip on the stake, causing it to fall into the moist grass without making any sound. He let out the long ragged breath he had been unconsciously holding almost the whole time. What had happened? No, he knew that. The question was: Why hadn't Dru killed him, when she had the chance – or more importantly – what the hell was she doing here anyway?

He shook his head. It almost seemed to him as if she'd been waiting for him here. Maybe she wanted to give him another chance with her – maybe turning him again? No, that was out of question. She was over him. And what was she talking about this dark prince-guy? Everything was so confusing. Wait a minute – with Dru things were always confusing. You thought he wouldn't have forgotten that after having been her lover for a good hundred years.

But whatever she was here for, it had something to do with his Slayer. Suddenly his heart skipped a beat. _I have something she might want back._ "No," he mumbled in disbelief, before turning around hurriedly and starting to run as if a wild horde of really nasty demons were directly behind him.

* * *

Oh god, what a day, Buffy thought, when she opened the door and stepped into the hall. It was already almost midnight and now she wanted nothing more than maybe a hot shower and then go to sleep, cuddled up against the chest of an extremely sexy ex-vampire. After hanging her denim jacket at the dresser, she shuffled into the living room, from where she could hear the noises of the TV. "Hey Faith," she greeted the other Slayer, who was half sitting half lying on the couch covered by a blanket.

"Hey B," Faith answered, just looking up from the TV for the split of a second.

Buffy yawned and sat down in the armchair next to the couch. "Spike isn't here yet?"

"Nope, your wonderboy is still out patrolling. And before you ask," Faith said smirking, seeing that Buffy had already opened her mouth to ask another question. "Dawn is upstairs in her room and in bed. For about two hours already." The older Slayer sighed and leaned back in the armchair, closing her eyes. "B, are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a bit tired…" Buffy answered sleepily. "I swear, if tomorrow will be anything like today, I think I'll just stay in bed…"

"Come on, it couldn't have been that bad. You're still alive after all." Faith grinned at her.

The blond woman opened her eyes again to look at the younger Slayer. She almost couldn't believe how much Faith had changed over the last years. There had been a time when it hadn't been possible for them to talk like this. There had been a time, when they had tried to kill each other. Buffy wondered, when those changes had begun. She guessed that it had been, when they had been stuck in each other's bodies. Something while being in Buffy's body had triggered them, but Buffy couldn't exactly say, what. And she would probably never know. Fact is that Faith used the second chance she had been given - and used it well.

"Hey B, are you sure you're okay?" Faith asked again, when she noticed the faraway look in the other woman's eyes.

"Huh?" Buffy blinked, first after a few seconds comprehending the Faith's question. "Oh, yeah… I'm okay. As I already said, just tired. You can go home now, if you want. I'll go to bed and won't wait up for Spike."

"Good idea…" she said and got up from the couch, quickly discarding the blanket on the floor, followed Buffy out of the living room, but while Buffy walked over to the stairs, Faith grabbed her black leather jacket from the dresser and put her hand on the handle of the front door. "Buffy, I could take over your patrol tomorrow, if you'd like to relax and spend some time with Dawn or Spike or maybe both of them."

Buffy, who had already taken a few steps, turned around and gave the girl, of whom she would have never thought that they could become true friends, a tired smile. "That would be exactly what I need. Thanks, Faith, I really appreciate your offer…"

"Don't mention it," Faith said slightly embarrassed and suddenly acted like the handle of the door was the most interesting thing in the world. "Well, I gotta go now! Bye!" She pushed down the handle, opened the door and was almost run over by a very disheveled looking Spike, who had just wanted to open the door as well from the outer side and stumbled inside, falling down on his knees. "Spike?" she exclaimed surprised.

"Spike?" Buffy asked as surprised as her fellow Slayer, when she came back down the few steps.

The former vampire in questions was completely out of breath and sweat trickled down his face and neck. "Buffy…"

"Spike?" she asked again, this time growing worried and knelt down next to him. "What's going on? Did something happen?"

"Dru," he managed to choke out. "She's back… in town…"

"Oh god. Are you okay? Did she hurt you?" Buffy wanted to know, at the same time looking for any puncture marks on her boyfriend's neck. "What happened?"

"I'm okay," Spike answered. "She – she didn't want… to hurt me. She needed me – to tell you something…" He looked up and directly into Buffy's hazel eyes. "She said… she had something that you… might want… back."

Buffy looked at him and saw the look of fear and worry on his face – a look that started to mirror her own, when his words started to sink in and what they most likely would mean. "Dawn…" she whispered. Before even hesitating another second, she turned around and ran up the stairs, taking two to three steps at once. She hurried down the corridor until she reached her sister's room and threw her door open. "Dawn!" Her wide eyes frantically searched the dark room for her sister and she had to squeeze them shut, when suddenly the lamp on the nightstand was switched on.

"Geez, Buffy… What is it?" she heard the sleepy sounding voice of her sister asking.

Her eyes quickly wandered to the bed, where she saw her sister's form under the blanket and just her head sticking out of it. Buffy's heart started to slow down again and her breathing became again more relaxed, when she saw that Dawn was home and okay. "Nothing… Just…" Buffy shook her head. "It's nothing Dawn. Go back to sleep. I don't want you to sleep in tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Buffy," Dawn said, when her sister closed the door again.

She let out the breath she had been holding the whole time and then inhaled deeply, waiting for her own heart rate to calm down again and listened for any noises that indicated that Buffy was again on her way downstairs. She waited a few minutes to make sure that her older sister was really gone, before she climbed out of the bed. First now you could see that she wasn't dressed in pajamas, but in long clothes that had traces of mud, grass and dust on them.

Still sitting on the bed she took off the black leather boots. Next she got up and slipped down the tight black leather pants, which she quickly discarded on the floor, followed by the black sleeveless top she had been wearing. After having put on her nightclothes, she pulled a black leather duster, much like the one Spike was wearing, out from under her bed along with several stakes, gathered the black clothes and stored them away in the back of her closet, where she was sure that no one would find them. At last Dawn took out a small hidden trunk of her closet, which she opened and put in the stakes, which had been lying under her bed, and in the end the silver cross that she had been wearing around her neck, before closing the trunk again and putting it back into its place.

When she was again lying in her bed and had switched off the light, she let out a long sigh. That had been close. Too close for her liking. She had to be more careful the next time, but this time it had just been unexpected. The appearance of Drusilla and Spike's wrong conclusion that she might be the one his ex had been talking about had almost blown her cover. Almost…

* * *

When Buffy came again downstairs, both, Spike, who in the meantime had enough time to gather his strength and was now standing again, and Faith looked at her expectantly and with worry written on their faces, but Buffy's smile let them immediately relax. "Dawn is okay…" she said. "I woke her up, but told her to go back to sleep again."

"Thank god," Spike muttered. "I don't know what I would have done, if something had happened to her."

"Me too," Buffy agreed, while walking back into the living room and sitting down on the couch, with Spike following her suit.

"Okay, guys," Faith said. "Now we know it isn't Dawn. Don't you think we should call the others to make sure that they are okay? And maybe call a Scooby meeting together? I mean, okay, I've never met Drusilla before, but she must be quite someone, if you're that worried."

"You're right, pet. The Nibblet may be safe, but we don't know about the others…"

"I'll call them." Buffy got up from the couch and went to the kitchen, where the telephone was.

Ten minutes and a few calls later, Buffy was back and was now lying in Spike's arms, while he was telling the two Slayers about his encounter with Dru. All of their friends here in Sunnydale were okay and they were now at a loss of whom Drusilla had been talking about, if not about one of their friends. But they had agreed that doing something about it right at that moment wouldn't do any good, so they set a Scooby meeting at nine o'clock in the morning. The two Slayers, as well as the two witches had to skip class, but the appearance of Dru was more important than college. Xander and Anya still had a few days left from their honeymoon, after they had spent two weeks in Florida and so he didn't need to go to work yet. The only one who couldn't be at the meeting was Dawn, which had been Buffy's decision, by which both Spike and Faith had been a bit surprised, since Buffy, at least since she had 'come back', let Dawn always help with researching.

"Her dark prince?" Faith asked, raising an eyebrow. "Who should that be?"

"I don't know," Spike answered shrugging. "Definitely not me. I've always been her dark knight and she doesn't want me back anyway. Plus I've never heard her talk about a dark prince before… There is of course one person, whom she could call dark prince."

"Angel?" Even though Buffy made it sound like a question, she knew that Spike was thinking about him.

"More Angelus, I'd say," Faith threw in. "Should we call him, too?"

"Pet, you forget that Angel is human. He can't convert back to Angelus…"

"We should call him anyway," the blonde mused. "He should be warned and maybe he could even help us. It's Dru we're dealing with and you and Angel are the only ones who know her well enough to be of help. I call him and then we should go to bed. I'm already tired enough as it is and I need to be fully awake when I'll face her tomorrow. Faith, you want to stay here over night?"

"Sure… I know where everything is. You call Angel and I go upstairs and make myself comfortable. Goodnight you two…" With saying this she rose from the armchair and made her way upstairs, while Spike helped an extreme sleepy Buffy up and went with her to the kitchen. There she picked up the phone and dialed the number of Angel Investigations in LA. She waited for a about a minute, until finally someone answered the phone. "Angel? Hi, sorry that I call you this late… Oh, you just came back from a fight?… Yes, I know that we haven't talked in a while… A very long while, I know. Please Angel, listen… We kind of have a problem here…"

* * *

"Yuck. This stuff will never be washed out," Cordelia complained, when Angel put the receiver back on the station. Her blue jeans and red sweater were stained with violet demon goo, showing that they really just had a nasty fight against some demon, which she tried to rub out with a wet towel. "Who was that?"

Angel, who miraculously looked as if he hadn't been fighting at all, looked up. "Krkow demon," he answered. "And you just have to use some turpentine to get this stuff out."

"And make my clothes all uncolory? No thanks, I think I rather spend a day in the bathtub and try to scrub it out with water and soap. And I was asking who was on the phone."

"Oh, that was Buffy. Drusilla is in Sunnydale and is planning something. I told her you, Wes and I will go to Sunnydale first thing in the morning," Angel told her.

"I see… Uhm, Angel," Cordelia hesitated. "Have you already told her?"

"What? That you're half-demon? No, not yet… But I don't think that this will bother her much."

"No, I mean… I was talking about," she motioned with her head to a teenage boy with short dark brown hair, who was storing away some weapons in the closet, "him." She looked back at Angel and noticed at once the look of guilt on his face.


	4. Of blood and portals Part One

**Chapter 3: Of blood and portals (Part One)**

_"Why blood? Why Dawn's blood? I mean, why couldn't it be like a, a lymph ritual?"  
"'Cause it's always got to be blood."  
_Xander and Spike in _The Gift_

* * *

Though she had gotten late to bed the previous night, Buffy was already up pretty early the following morning, before dawn to be precise. To be blunt she hadn't been able to get that much sleep, because Dru's appearance in Sunnydale and her strange message were troubling her – a lot. This and the problems with Social Services, which she didn't want to think about. She had no idea who the lunatic vampire could have been talking about. And the knowledge that there was someone in the hands of that vamp made her feel restless. She wanted to do something – anything – but she wasn't able to. First of all she had no idea, where she could find Drusilla and secondly she knew that they first had to do some research concerning this dark prince guy, whoever that was.

At least she hadn't been the only one who couldn't sleep. Sometime in the middle of the night she woke up – after just having falling asleep – when Spike had left the bed. She listened to him gathering his clothes and in the end leaving the room to obviously go out patrolling. But she couldn't blame him. If she already felt queasy, she had no idea how her boyfriend must be feeling. He and Drusilla had been lovers for a hundred years after all. And now with his ex being back and all he must be a bit nervous. Okay, that was the understatement of the century. Buffy still remembered all too clearly how she had felt when Angel had come back for those few days while she had been with Riley. So she could just imagine that the way Spike was feeling was much worse. He had done everything – _everything_ – for Drusilla during their relationship. He had been a broken man after she'd left him for this chaos demon.

So much had happened after that. The Initiative, the chip, him falling in love with the Slayer, the whole Glory-thing, Buffy's 'death', appearance of Pan and the Saiyajins, Buffy coming back to kill them all, Spike and Angel becoming human through that one wish, Buffy remembering everything and them getting together. Every normal person, who wasn't used to the life of the Scoobies, would've gone crazy and just now, when everything finally started to calm down – at least for Spike – after adjusting to _life_, Drusilla had of course to come back and, if that doesn't make it even worse, tell him that he doesn't matter to her anymore, that she had someone new – her dark prince.

But since Buffy had been up that early she couldn't find anything to occupy herself with, so she just sat in the living room, allowing her mind to wander. She had wanted to find out who the person was Drusilla had kidnapped, but soon her mind drifted off to other things – things she'd rather didn't want to think about. At least not at that moment. And those things were about Dawn and the talk to Miss Kroger. She had to tell them – _her_ – about this, but she had no idea how and when. Buffy wished their mother were still alive. At least then she'd knew that everything would be alright.

Sitting there like this deep in thought, Spike found her, when he came up just after dawn and frankly he was surprised to see her awake at that time of the day. He silently watched her for a while without her noticing him, wondering what kind of thoughts could bring a sad and tired look like this on the beautiful face of his girlfriend. This couldn't just be Dru – no, Buffy had already been a bit distant at the phone the previous day. He just hoped that it wasn't anything concerning Dawn, but he knew at the same time that other things were now more important than that – at least to the world. "Hey luv," he finally decided to say, his soft voice breaking the silence that had so been heavily lying in the room. "What are you already doing up?"

"What?" Buffy jerked out of her thought, eventually noticing the former vampire standing in the doorway to the living room. "Oh, hey… Where've you been?"

Spike just shrugged. "Out. Needed a clear head. And now back to my question. What are you already doing here? Shouldn't you be asleep?" he asked, while he was walking up to her and eventually sitting down on the couch next to her, allowing Buffy to cuddle up against him.

"Couldn't sleep. This whole thing with Drusilla kept me awake…" the Slayer answered nonchalantly, now starting to sound sleepy. Being curled up to Spike somehow always had this effect on her – at least since he was alive. The steady beating of his heart always calmed her down. This and the warmth emanating from his body made her feel safe and managed to lull her to sleep.

Spike noticed this and gently kissed her head, fastening his arms around her. "Rest a bit. This day will be pretty exhausting…" Before the Slayer could even answer, the former vampire could already hear her even breathing and the calming beating of her heart.

He first woke her up a couple of hours later, when the sun was already standing a bit higher at the horizon and it was time for Dawn to get up. Not wanting to worry Buffy he took care that Dawn got ready in time and when the younger Summers woman came bouncing down the stairs, Spike had already prepared breakfast for his little women. He was almost surprised when a few minutes later also Faith came down the stairs. He had almost forgotten about the slightly younger Slayer spending the night at their house. All four of them had a quiet breakfast not once bringing up the upcoming research party or Drusilla in general. Buffy had made it clear the night before that she didn't want Dawn to know about any of this.

Once the teenager had finished her breakfast, she got up and grabbed her bags. "Okay, I'll be gone then!" she announced and just wanted to storm out of the door, when her older sister stopped her.

"Uhm, Dawn… What's in this second backpack?" Buffy wanted to know.

"This?" Dawn held up a backpack. "My clothes and school stuff for tomorrow are in there… Don't you remember? I wanted to spend the night at Janice's so that we could study for this math test tomorrow." She tried to say it as casually as possible, hoping that her sister didn't catch that she was lying.

Buffy thought for a moment, but couldn't remember that Dawn had ever told her of this. But eventually she agreed, saying that she remembered just now. She was somehow glad that Dawn was out of the house until the next day. So she truly wouldn't find out about the Scooby meeting. She was only afraid that Dawn might find out that something was going on due to Spike's absence at school. He had called there and reported sick, so that he wouldn't miss anything at the Scooby meeting.

After Dawn had finally left the house and they had also finished their breakfast, the two Slayers and the one ex-vampire looked at each other. "Okay, let's go to the Magic Box. I'm sure the others are already there," the blond Slayer told them.

"Okay, luv. I get the car." Spike quickly left the kitchen, while both Slayers got a few weapons from Buffy's weapon chest, which Xander had made her for her birthday.

Buffy was right. When they arrived at the Magic Box in Spike's DeSoto, they already saw Xander's and Angel's cars standing there. "Oh great," Spike commented, as he parked his car behind the other ones. "The great poofter is also there…"

"Spike," Buffy said, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry, pet… Didn't mean it… Wait a minute. I did mean it." Buffy glared at him. "Okay, shutting up already." He opened the door and got out of the car, Buffy and Faith doing the same and together they walked up to the shop and through the door.

All heads in the shop turned, when the bell above the door jingled, making known to the occupants of the shop that someone just entered. All eyes were looking expectantly at the newcomers, but one pair of eyes showed more than that. They betrayed also some other feelings – one of them being fear. "Hey Buffy," the owner of those eyes greeted her softly.

"Hello Angel," the Slayer answered him. "So, everyone's here?" she asked, her eyes wandering around the room, until they halted on a teenage boy, probably not that much older than her own sister. "And who is that, if I may ask?"

"Uhm, Buffy…" Angel said. "This is Connor."

"Oh, new member of the AI?"

"Well, yeah, not really. Connor is my son." He saw the confused look on her face – no, not just on her face, but also on the ones of Spike and Faith – and decided to continue. "It's really a long story and I don't think that this is now the right time to tell you."

"O-okay… But I have one small question, though. Who's the mother? Is it you, Cordy?" Buffy still wanted to know, in her stunned state completely ignoring the small fact that the boy she was talking about was also present.

"What? Me?" Cordy laughed lightly. "No… Connor's mother is…" she hesitated, throwing a small glance towards the boy's father, wanting him to agree to telling his first true love who the mother was. A small nod from him told her that she could go on. "It's Darla."

"Darla?" Spike now spoke up. "I thought she was dust."

Cordelia just shook her head. "She was… But Wolfram and Hart, our resident demonic law firm in LA, brought her back…" Upon a look from Angel and Wesley, she quickly stopped. "But then again that's a long story for which we have no time, because there are now more important things we have to take care…" She didn't get to finish this sentence, because she suddenly got a far away look on her face, as if she was concentrating on something else, which was indeed true. "There's a young man. Tall, dark, handsome, wearing a SPD police uniform. Oh, there's a nametag. It says Officer Perrez. He's in some kind of underground, I can't see exactly, what. And there are vampires." She looked up again and saw the Scoobies stare at her. "Hey, the guy's in trouble if you haven't noticed."

"Cordy," Xander said mildly confused. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't your visions usually incredible painful?"

"Well," the Seer hesitated. What would they say about that? "I think that is another small detail that we somehow forgot to tell you… You see, the visions were about to kill me, they almost did to be precise, because humans aren't strong enough to harbor the vision – at least that's what my guide Skip told me – and that the only way I got to keep the visions was by becoming part demon. Eh voila! No more killer headaches."

"Whoa…" Xander slumped back in the chair he was sitting in. "What is it with me and demons? I mean, my wife is an ex-vengeance demon and my ex has become a demon."

"Part-demon," Cordy corrected.

"Uhm, Cordelia… Can you please repeat what you saw in your vision?" Buffy asked her thoughtfully, not giving Xander or anyone else time to react on Cordy's demonyess. Cordelia quickly complied, and answered the Slayer's question, who then had to sit down.

"Are you okay, luv?" Spike asked her worried.

"I know who it is…" she mumbled. "It's Eric. My partner. Drusilla got him."

* * *

Dawn sighed and stared at the clock above the blackboard in front of the class, the whole time nervously playing with her pen. Just three more minutes and then this school day would be over. Finally. Everyone would go home then. Everyone except of her. Because she had other plans. She could already feel them. She knew that right now the Scoobies were most likely gathered in the Magic Box, having a huge research party about Drusilla and her dark prince.

Finally the three minutes were up and the sound of the bell released the students. She heard her teacher say something about homework, but she didn't listen. On her way out, she said goodbye to her friends and, when she was sure that they were out of sight, disappeared in one of the bathrooms. Her friends, and especially Janice, didn't need to know that she didn't plan on going home anytime soon.

Once being there, she put her bag on the sink and opened the zipper, just to reveal the same clothes she had already worn the night before. She quickly put them on, hiding a stake here and there at her pants and fastening the crossbow on her back, which was hidden under the black duster, before she discarded her normal clothes into the bag. In the end she opened a small box, taking out the silver cross. After she put it on, she took a look into the mirror, suddenly remembering a tune, which she had sung a few months ago, softly singing it again. "Does anybody even notice? Does anybody even care?"

Suddenly she abruptly turned around, grabbed her bag and determinedly left the bathroom. The corridors were already empty, no human soul was to be seen. The students really had nothing better to do than to leave this place as soon as possible. So it was no wonder that almost no student ever noticed the long afternoons and nights her sister and the other Scoobies had spent there during their own High school time.

After having put her bag into her locker, Dawn slowly walked past the principal's office, expanding her senses while doing so. Principal Wood was also gone. Good. But yet she wasn't alone in the building. That she could feel. There were presences, presences that could just belong to one kind of demon. The feeling of the presence being there and at the same time not. Vampires. This kind of presence, this _ki_ made them special and for beings with the ability to feel it, easy to find them. It's like a Slayer sense for none-Slayers.

Gripping tightly onto one of the stakes at her side, she stopped in front of a door with a sign that said _Basement. No student access._ Dawn completely ignored the sign and pushed the door open, stake at hand in case something bumpy decided to jump at her. The basement of the new Sunnydale High was like a maze. Perfect for creatures of the dark, who liked to play hide and seek.

She waited for a few seconds, straining her ears and expanding her senses again. Good. No vampires near. Without letting go of the stake, she slowly started to walk to the direction, where she could feel the presences. At the pace she was going, and with carefully rounding each corner in almost complete darkness, it took her about fifteen minutes, before she could see the flicker of candlelight at the end of one corridor. Soon she could also hear a voice and see shadows, which were thrown at the wall.

Without making any noise, Dawn warily looked around the corner and immediately spotted the person – vampire – she was looking for, sitting with her back to her. Drusilla. She seemed to be alone. The younger Summers smirked. Good. Very good. She exchanged the stake against the crossbow and aimed at the lunatic vampire's heart. But before she could shoot, the dark haired vampire started to speak.

"I know you're there. Why don't you come out and play with me?"

Dawn gritted her teeth and after debating a bit, stepped out of the shadows into the room. Now she could take a closer look at the room. A few feet next to her stood another chair with a young man tied at it. Wait a minute… Wasn't this…? Now she knew at least whom Drusilla had been talking about the other night. He seemed to be unconscious and he didn't look too well. Turning her head back to the black-haired woman, she saw that the latter was now also looking at her. Immediately she turned her eyes away, well remembering what both her sister and Spike had told her about the vampire.

"So, now you know that I'm here… But that won't change anything at the fact that you'll be dust in a few seconds," Dawn said, raising her crossbow again.

Dru rose from her chair and walked up to Dawn, who was still aiming at her, acting completely cool. "So beautiful… So pure energy… green and glowy… I've been waiting for you…"

Taken aback by this, Dawn accidentally released the arrow, so that the vampire managed to catch it. She quickly pulled out another arrow from her belt and tried to load the crossbow, but unfortunately didn't notice the vampire coming from behind. He rushed up and tackled her to the ground, letting the crossbow slide a few feet away from Dawn. She tried to crawl towards it, but the vampire pulled her back. So she decided for the other option, spun around and managed to kick the vampire in the face before she jumped up and pulled out a stake. "Don't think you'll get me that easily." With this being said, she lunged at the vampire, whom she managed to dust within a few seconds. She just wanted to turn back to Drusilla to take care of her, when she noticed that she was completely surrounded by about twenty vampires, if not even more. "Oh oh…"

* * *

It was almost half past eleven at night, when the Scoobies and the Fang Gang finally decided it was time to go. Dru had said that she wanted Buffy to come when it was dark, but until now they had still hoped that they would find something that could help them, so that they wouldn't go unprepared. They knew it was most likely a trap for Buffy, but they hadn't been able to find out anything during the day, so the only way to find out what exactly Drusilla had been talking about was to go there.

It was almost midnight, when they were standing in front of the entrance, heavily armed and ready to fight. Buffy, Spike and Angel stood in front of everyone else. "Ready, pet?" Spike wanted to know. Buffy nodded and kicked the locked door open. Spike and Angel just looked at each other - a typical Buffy-entrance – before they and the rest of the Scoobies and LA Gang followed her.

Buffy knew exactly where she was going. She could feel the vampires. Their presences were tingling at her 'spider-sense' and it was intense. She threw a quick glance back at Faith, who also had a wary look on her face. So she felt it, too. So many vampires in the school that it would be really hard for them to get to Dru and to free Eric. But there was also another vibe going on. Something mystic. That could also just mean one thing. It seemed that Drusilla was messing with the Hellmouth. A thought Buffy wasn't too happy about.

"Do you guys feel that?" Willow asked in a whisper. "The magic?"

"It's strong…" Tara added. "And black."

"Shh…" Buffy stopped, when she heard voices coming from exactly the same place she wanted to go to. "They're here."

"What is there?" Cordelia wanted to know.

"The principal's office," the blonde Slayer answered.

"Which is lying directly above the Hellmouth," Faith continued.

Cordelia's mouth just formed a silent 'oh', before Buffy advanced to the door. It was closed, but you could still hear a few voices. She took a few steps back, before she also kicked this door in, her eyes immediately scanning the just by some candles, which were standing in form of a pentagram on the floor, lit office. There were Eric tied to a chair and a few vamps – nothing they couldn't handle – but no Dru. Buffy just threw a look at the others, who were immediately at the vamps, while she was going over to her partner, quickly untying him.

"Summers…" he groaned.

"Shut up, Eric. We will get you out of here." She put his arm around her shoulder, seeing from the corners of her eyes that the vamps were almost all dusted and just wanted to go towards the door again, when Drusilla appeared there. "Drusilla," she stated calmly.

"Slayer… I see my William brought you my message. But I don't need you anymore…" she said in a sing-song voice.

"What are you talking about, Dru?" Spike, who was now standing next to Buffy, wanted to know.

"Oh William, I never wanted the Slayer… I always wanted something else… Something that would usually come with the Slayer… But who would've thought that this bad little thing would try to play hero on its own…" Dru smiled while she said it and rather roughly pulled a tied up and gagged Dawn to her into the doorframe.

"Dawn!" Buffy yelled, shoving Eric over to Cordelia, who caught him, and wanted to lung at the vampire, but the latter had pulled the teenager even closer and had raised her sharp nails to her neck.

"One step closer and she'll bleed. Fernando! Come here!" A vampire, the same one who had already found Dawn for her a few nights ago, appeared next to her, holding an old book in his hands. "Let's start. You others take care of those nuisances."

Suddenly many other vampires stormed into the room, their number far bigger than the number of the white-hats, what made it difficult to fight them. The missing space in the office didn't help them much either. "We can't take them here!" Faith shouted over the noise of fighting. "We have to get into the hallway." As if wanting to show what she'd been talking about, she kicked one vampire into the guts, sending him into a few others, who were all stumbling through the door into the corridor, with the Slayer following them.

The others followed her example and also tried to get the vampires out of the office, at that moment much to Buffy's dislike. The office was way too small for all of this hustle and bustle and she tried to fight her way to the pentagram, where Drusilla was now standing in with Dawn – she had no idea how they had managed to get through – along with Fernando, who was reciting something out of the book he had been carrying. "Dawn!" she yelled again, but every time she wanted to advance, another vampire appeared directly in front of her. She eventually managed to dust them or to shove them aside, but they eventually got the upper hand in number and were able to push her away from her sister.

She could just watch in shock, when this Fernando nodded at the crazy woman and she sank her teeth into Dawn's neck. The teenager's muffled scream didn't even reach Buffy's ears, because of the noise of fighting and yelling, but she could see her face grimacing in pain and a tear running down her cheek. "Dawn!"

Buffy froze, when Drusilla let go of her sister and obviously said something, according to the moving of her mouth, before she painted a circle in the air, which immediately materialized in white and blue swirling colors. Time seemed to stand still for Buffy. Just one thought was repeating itself again and again in her mind. _No, not again!_

She could just watch, completely unable to move, as Drusilla smirked at her and the remaining vamps made their way towards the portal. First after almost every vampire had run through, Drusilla, still holding onto the still conscious, but dazed, Dawn, proceeded through it. Just as Fernando wanted to follow them through the now shrinking circle, Buffy noticed that someone was tackling him away and jumped instead before it closed completely. It had been one of the few persons who had next to Buffy still been in the office and had been fighting a vampire closer at the portal than anyone else, when he had seen that the dark-haired vampire going through it with the girl. He had followed his first instincts and had followed them.

"Connor!" Buffy heard Angel yelling behind her, when the portal had closed.

"Dawn…" she just whispered.


	5. Of blood and portals Part Two

**Chapter 4: Of blood and portals (Part Two)**

_"She's not your real sister."  
"No, she's not. She's more than that. She's _me_. The monks mad her out of me. I hold her… and I feel closer to her than… It's not just the memories they built. It's physical. Dawn… is a part of me."  
_Giles and Buffy in _The Gift_

* * *

He rolled once after his dive through the portal, before he was on his feet again. Raising his right arm, at which a weapon was tied from which a half-dozen sharpened stakes protruded, he threw a quick glance around, taking in his surroundings. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw the vortex disappear and in front of him he spotted the vampires, who had gone through the portal before him, and the girl, still held by this Drusilla. They were in some woods and it was dark, but thanks to his heritage, which gifted him with some extra abilities, he was able to see quite well. He pointed the stakes at the dark haired vampire. "Let her go," he demanded in a calm voice.

Completely ignoring him, Drusilla took a step closer. "You smell like him…"

He launched two stakes at the vampires next to her, turning them to dust, before repeating again, this time with more force, "Let her go."

She looked down at the with fear almost paralyzed girl, before pushing her forward, letting her stumble into the teenage boy's arms. "Take her. I don't need her anymore."

Connor caught Dawn before she hit the ground. "You okay?" he asked her, while quickly untying her, just once taking his eyes from the vampires in front of them to look at the bitemarks at her neck. Fortunately they weren't bleeding anymore.

After having taken the gag out of her mouth, she nodded lightly. "I'll be…" She hadn't even finished this sentence, when she felt something wooden and pointy in her hand.

"Are you able to defend yourself?"

Dawn looked at the stake this unknown youth had given her, then at the vampires and at last at him. "I think I have no other choice…" They turned around so that they were standing back to back, eyeing the vampires carefully, who now started to surround them. There weren't that many, just about ten or so who had gotten through the portal before it had closed, but it was still more than enough for the two teenagers, of which one of them had been nearly drained by a vampire and was therefore weakened. Taking one deep breath, Dawn concentrated on the energy left in her body, hoping that the adrenalin pumping through her body would give her strength to at least hold some of the vampires at bay. The grip around the stakes tightened, when she released the breath, ready to take whatever those vampires would throw at her.

And then the fight began.

Snarling, the demons lunged at their prey, but unfortunately two of them were already dusted, before they could even get close to them, due to two stakes launched at them by Connor. He tried to repeat that action with some other vampires, but missed his target. In the end he had only one stake left and the vampires were now also already too close to use this device. Dodging one blow, he pulled the last stake out of his weapon and pulled it from his arm, so that he could fight better, before he embedded said stake in the vampire's chest. After the dust had cleared, he had time to take a quick glance at the girl he had just rescued, or better, still tried to rescue. She was up against two vampires and had a hard time to hold her own against the two of them. Her moves were quite uncoordinated and she was getting slower with each passing second. This vampire must have taken more blood from her than he had previously assumed.

He was jerked out of his thoughts, when another vamp managed to land a blow, but he didn't live long enough to regret that. Connor pulled the stake out of the vampire's chest, before he somersaulted over some others heads to Dawn, who was now lying on the ground.

Dawn blinked a few times, trying to clear her blurry vision. Her neck hurt and she felt lightheaded. Sweat was running down her face and back and she had a hard time concentrating on the two vampires. Under normal circumstances she would feel insulted by this – just two vamps attacking her, since this mysterious boy had to fight against the rest – but quickly pushed that thought away. Due to the current circumstances it looked like she would be dinner – or breakfast – for those two vamps. This was a prospect she wasn't too keen on.

Panic started to grip her, when one of them landed a good hit and sent her sprawling on the floor. Dawn tried to crawl away, but the vampire grabbed her ankle, pulling her back towards them. He spun her around and leaned over her, his fangs slowly descending to her neck. A feeling of complete helplessness washed over her, as she hit on him – in vain. Her blows didn't seem to have any effect on him. She felt again like the weak girl she had been a year ago – unable to defend herself.

Dawn closed her eyes, already feeling the teeth piercing her skin again, when suddenly the weight pressed on her body disappeared. She opened her eyes again to see the other teenager fight the one vampire left. This one was a fast kill and just a few seconds later, she noticed a hand being extended to her. She let herself be pulled up, muttering a faint thank you.

"Stay here. I'll take care of the rest," Connor told her in a firm voice, before rushing off, lunging again at the demons, stake poised in his hand.

Dawn could just watch in awe. This stranger was fighting like he had done nothing else in his entire life. From what she could tell his technique was flawless. His moves were flowing, one going over into the other as if he wasn't fighting but dancing. Yeah, dancing… That's how Spike called it when he and Buffy were sparring. This boy, the way he was fighting, it resembled the way her sister and Spike were fighting with each other a lot - though with a different style. He had no real style – at least not one she knew. It was somehow raw, as if no one had ever really taught him in the art of fighting. And yet it was fluent and effective. Where and how did he learn to fight like this?

Her eyes went wide, when he just jumped over one of the vampires as if it were nothing. First now she noticed that this youth wasn't just an incredible good fighter, but also seemed to have some supernatural strength. Who was that?

The clapping of hands tore her out of her thoughts, followed by a demanding, "Enough!" The few vampires, who were still left after Connor's assault of attacks, stopped dead in their tracks, looking at Drusilla. Connor also lowered his stake, though not once letting his guard down, and followed their gaze. "We have to go… I can smell the dawn!" With a slight confused look on their faces, both Connor and Dawn watched the vampires retreat and eventually disappear in the darkness of the trees.

Connor debated for a few seconds to go after them, but eventually decided against it. It wouldn't be of any use to chase them – at least not when he had to take the girl with him. She was too weak to be of any help and would just be a hindrance. And he couldn't leave her here alone. He had no idea where they were and what kind of beasts could be lurking in the shadows of the trees. So, after picking up his weapon and placing the last stake in it, he walked over to Dawn. "You okay?"

"Maybe a few more bruises, but otherwise still as dizzy as before…" Dawn answered. "Where did they go?"

"I don't know… But this vampire was right. The sun is rising soon. That could just work for our advantage. We should find out, where we are. Do you think you can walk a bit?" Connor wanted to know.

"Yeah, I think I can. By the way, I'm Dawn."

"Connor," the boy said absently, looking around. "The vampires went into this direction. Maybe we should also go there… They would need to feed and that means finding humans. In case there are humans in this dimension."

"You're right," Dawn agreed. "Let's go."

* * *

"Dawn." This name still lingered in the room even after the word was spoken. Everyone was silent, even the vampire – this Fernando – didn't say a word. Buffy's knees felt like they were about to give in. She felt the same helplessness wash over her as already one and a half year ago, when Glory had taken Dawn. The knowledge that she had most likely killed her sister. This silence was hurting her ears and visions of herself trying to suffocate Dawn with a pillow appeared in front of her inner eye.

And then suddenly something snapped inside of her. She briskly made her way up to the only vampire left, grabbed him at the collar and pushed him at the wall with a force that let some cracks appear in it. "Open the portal!" she demanded.

"I can't…" Fernando choked out.

"You did it once – so do it again. Open the portal."

"It's impossible… A vampire has to drink the blood of the Key to open it. And our princess has taken the Key with her…"

Buffy's grip at the vampire's collar loosened for the split of a second, when those information sank in. Just the blood of the Key can open the portal… There must be another way… Buffy's thoughts ran wild. There must… Suddenly her eyes went wide. There is! The grip tightened again and she pushed him again against the wall. "Take my blood."

"Buffy?" Angel asked confused, followed by a worried "Pet?" from Spike.

"Remember guys. 'The blood flows, the gates will open. The gates will close when it flows no more.' What happened the last time, when a portal was opened with Dawn's blood?"

"You closed it…" Giles answered her question. "But Buffy, the fact that you were able to close the portal the last time doesn't necessarily mean that you are also able to open a portal."

"I'm sorry Buffy," Willow said. "But I think Giles is right. It isn't just the blood that opens the portals, it's the energy of the Key and – oh…"

"Oh?" Xander asked confused. "What oh? Willow, it sure would be nice if you maybe enlighten us."

"I think I know what Buffy and Red are getting at… We've all concentrated too much on the blood. But it's not really the blood that opens and closes the portals. It's the energy _in_ the blood. And since Buffy was able to close the portal the last time…"

"She must have some essence of the Key in her blood. Of course…" Giles finished Spike's assumption, while cleaning his glasses.

"Oh… That's the meaning of the oh. Now I understand."

"So, Fernando, what do you think now?" Buffy queried.

"Even if you manage to open the portal, it won't open at the same place twice. It's wandering with each passing second. It could open in a complete different country or maybe even in space or on another planet for all I know…" he told her.

Buffy shrugged nonchalantly. "Just one more reason for us to act fast." She let go of Fernando and pushed him towards Spike. "Watch after him. He's the only vampire available right now. Willow, I trust you are able to perform the ritual." Upon Willow's nod she turned to the others, her hands placed on her hips. "Okay, now up to the question of who comes with me. Willow, Tara, I don't think I can do without you. You might be our only chance to come back."

"Of course," Tara told her with a sincere but nervous smile on her face.

"Good, who else?"

"Don't even think that I let you go alone, pet." Buffy threw a grateful smile at Spike.

"Me, too," Faith said smirking. "It's been way too quiet in the last weeks. I'm just itching to kick some demon's ass."

"I'll go, too." All heads turned to Angel, when he said those words. "It's not just Dawn, who's in this other dimension, it's also Connor."

"Angel," the blond haired Slayer said softly. "I know it's much to ask for, but someone needs to stay in Sunnydale. When the demons find out that this town is Slayerless and therefore without protection, I don't want to know how it will look like when we come back."

"It's okay, Buffy," Cordelia told her, putting a hand on Angel's shoulder. "We'll stay here. Connor has survived sixteen years in Quortoth, the darkest dimension of all, so I think he'll be able to handle himself in a not-so-dark dimension. Or don't you think so, Angel?"

The former vampire's shoulder's slumped in defeat. "Okay… We'll stay here. But Buffy, please bring him back, okay?"

"I'll do my best." Buffy knew better than to say 'I promise'. So many promises that had been made had been broken in the last years. Enough for her to know that in a town like Sunnydale and as long as she was the Slayer it was nearly impossible to keep any promises. "Okay, what about you, Xander, Anya?"

"We'll be with you, Buff." Xander gave her a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, as long as this dimension isn't inhabited by bunnies." The LA gang shot Anya confused glances, while the others just rolled their eyes, already being used to her absurd fear for bunnies.

"Thanks guys… As to you, Giles, you'll stay here."

"What?" the Watcher almost asked exasperated. "I'm your Watcher, Buffy. I can't just let you wander through a portal and stay here."

"But you will. Giles, you're something like the head of the Council. Just think of what would happen, if you come with us and we find no way back. Think about the coming Slayers."

"Well…" Giles just said, but eventually nodded defeated.

"Great, now that finally everything is clear, we shouldn't waste any more time and finally do the ritual…."

"Uhm, may I say something?" Eric's voice suddenly sounded through the room. "But, what is this all about? I mean, what were those guys and what happened to your sister, Summers?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Angel, Cordy, please take him with you and enlighten him, once you get to my house. You are also invited to stay there as long as we're gone. But now, let's start. Willow, are you ready?" The red haired witch nodded. Buffy then walked up to Spike and gave him her trusty stake Mr. Pointy. "Stake him, when he takes too much." Before Buffy could turn her back to him, Spike pulled her into a short, but fierce kiss. They smiled at each other for about a second, before Buffy turned around and announced, "I'm ready."

So, everyone who didn't want or shouldn't go through the portal stepped back and Willow started to recite the same passage of the book Fernando had already read minutes ago. When she was finished, she threw Spike a look, telling him that he should allow the vampire to drink from Buffy. Buffy's face twisted in pain, once the sharp fangs pierced her delicate skin, seeing visions of the Master, Angel and in the end Dracula drinking from her. The vampire was well aware of the pointy end of the stake in his back and so just took as much as he really needed, before speaking the words Drusilla had spoken to open the portal. He moved his hand in a circle and indeed, Buffy was right, the portal appeared. Those, who had decided to go, looked at each other, before jumping through it and at last, Spike shoved the vampire through it, following him with a dazed Buffy in his arms.

After the portal has closed, Giles said, "We should go now. There's nothing we could do anymore."

* * *

_Everything was white. So white that it almost hurt in her eyes to open them. But she did nonetheless. She was at a place, where she had never been before. Was this the place Slayers go to, when they die? Or is this maybe heaven? But if this was indeed heaven, then where was her mother? And if this was the resting place for Slayers, then where were the others? Where was Kendra? _

_She looked down at herself. She was still wearing the white pullover and gray pants she had already worn during the fight. "Hello?" she called out. No answer. "Hello?"_

_"Slayer."_

_She spun around, just to come face to face with two humanoid beings clad in white robes. They looked almost completely human, if it weren't for the strange blue and gold coloring of their skin. One seemed to be female, and the other one, the one who had called her, male. "Yep, that would be me. Buffy the Vampire Slayer at your service. And who are you?"_

_"We are known…"_

_"As the Powers That Be…" the female finished the male's sentence. _

_"So, you are the Powers, huh? I would say 'Nice to meet ya', but I think it's kind of hard after everything you put me through," Buffy said, obviously not all too pleased with meeting the Powers That Be. _

_The Powers, however, seemed to be unimpressed by her behavior. The female took a step forward. "Don't you want to know…"_

_"Why you're here?"_

_"Sure, but I thought it would be pretty stupid of me to ask, since it seemed like you were going to tell me that anyway."_

_The male gave a small wave with his hand and a golden glowing portal appeared behind Buffy. She turned around, squinting with her eyes when laying them on the portal the first time. "This portal is leading to what you mortals call heaven."_

_"Heaven?" Buffy looked at him questioningly, not even noticing that for the first time one of them had finished the sentence. "I can go to heaven?"_

_"You can go, Slayer. But before you go…"_

_"You need to know something." The female's voice sent a shiver down her spine. She knew this kind of voice. People use this kind of voice, when they wanted to tell you something bad. She waited for her to continue. "The ones that call themselves the Council of Watchers know about the Key's existence…"_

_"And its whereabouts."_

_"They are planning to destroy it."_

_"What?" Buffy almost yelled. "And you tell me this now? Right before I'll go to heaven without being able to do anything about it? That I died in vain?"_

_"You're wrong Slayer." The female materialized another portal, a blue one, next to the golden one. _

_"We give you the chance to decide."_

_"You can go to heaven, where your sister and your friends will join you soon."_

_"Or you can go back to earth and save them."_

_"No! No, no and no! You can't ask this of me! You can't ask _me_ to decide between heaven and hell! I mean, my friends will be able to take care of themselves. They _can_ protect Dawn. What about this whole 'Death is your gift'-shit? Was that all just a lie, so that you can now torture me here? And look at me, I've this whole death-wish all over me. I was glad, when I jumped through the portal. I was so tired of my life. The moment I decided to jump I've given up. Adieu life of a Slayer, let someone else take care of this mess!" _

_"That's where…"_

_"You're wrong, Slayer," the Powers contradicted._

_"Yes, death was your gift, it still is…"_

_"But you can decide whether you want to take it…"_

_"Or not. But you don't…"_

_"Have a death wish. You didn't…"_

_"Give up. You didn't jump…"_

_"Because you were tired of your life…"_

_"But because you wanted to save life…"_

_"The life of the Key – your sister," both finished simultaneously. _

_"Besides, after you there won't be a new Slayer called," the female told her. "Your line died, when the Master killed you and Kendra was called."_

_"First when the Slayer known as Faith dies, a new one will be called."_

_Buffy looked at the ground, tears brimming in her eyes. "So you want me to go back?" Though she formulated it as a question, she knew that this was exactly what the Powers wanted her to do. "To give up an eternity in heaven and continue my life in what was hell for me ever since I've been called?"_

_"No, it's your own decision…"_

_"But you know the consequences."_

_"To make it easier for you…" the female started again._

_"You won't give up an eternity in heaven."_

_"You just get another chance at life."_

_"Think about what being a Slayer had given you. True friends…"_

_"A sister…"_

_"A father…"_

_"True love."_

_At the last statement her head jerked up. "True love… but…"_

_"Think about it, Slayer."_

_"But you have to decide now…"_

_Suddenly images of her friends flashed in front of her eyes and she knew what she had to do – as hard as it was. "So, I just have to go through the blue portal and I'll be back?" she asked, wiping away her tears._

_"Unfortunately it's not that easy," the male said._

_"Once you got through, you'll have to pass a test."_

_"But if you've passed this test…"_

_"You'll have access to a power far greater than any other Slayer before had…"_

_Buffy let out a small sarcastic laugh. "I knew that it wouldn't be that easy. But you don't give me another choice. And don't think that I'm grateful for this chance. I'm just doing it for my friends and Dawn. I can't let them die…" She turned around and walked up to the blue portal, casting one last sad glance at the golden one with the knowledge what she would give up, and, before stepping through, she said, "I hope that, when I die the third time, I'll finally be able to rest in peace…"_

* * *

Her eyes started to flutter open, when she felt a slap on her face and heard a voice calling out for her. "Buffy? Luv? Come on, wake up!"

"I remember…" she whispered, a tear running down her cheek.

"Hey! She's awake!" Spike called out and then turned back to her, stroking her hair. "What do you remember, pet?"

"Spike?" Buffy asked confused and sat up. Her eyes wandered around. They were in the middle of a green field, with a small village not that far away, and the sun was already standing a bit above the horizon. Everyone else was also there, but the vampire was missing. "Where… where's this Fernando?"

"Dust," Spike answered shortly. "The sun was already up, when we arrived and there was no shelter for him. He burnt before we even knew what was happening."

"What about Dawn… and Connor?" She extended her hand and Spike helped her up.

He shook his head. "We haven't found them yet and you were just out for a couple of minutes. Faith used the chance to talk to one of the villagers who had passed by and asked him, where we are. It seems that this place is also called earth and that there is a large city a couple of miles in the west."

"Then we should go there, I think. Dawn and Connor would probably look for any kind of civilization…"

* * *

"Hey Angel… What's up?" Cordy wanted to know on their walk back to 1630 Revello drive. While Giles and Wesley had decided to enlighten Eric and drive him home, Angel and Cordy still wanted to do a quick patrol. "You've been so quiet the whole time."

"I don't know… It's just… I'm worried that Connor and Dawn… that the portal… that it's Quortoth."

* * *

"It's not Quortoth…" Connor stated somehow relieved, when he watched the surroundings from a small hill. There were grassy plains, woods and in the east he could see the outlines of a large city in the light of the rising sun.


	6. Connor

**Chapter 05: Connor**

"Quortoth?" Dawn asked, panting heavily. She and this, at least for her, mysterious youth with the name Connor had already been walking through the woods for about half an hour, if not a bit more, and the longer they walked, the harder it was for her to keep up with him. She was still dizzy from the blood loss, sweaty from exertion and dirty from tripping over a root once or twice. Groaning she sat down on a small rock, after having climbed up the hill and tried to keep up with Connor in the course of doing so. Of course, he had waited for her every couple of minutes, but in her current condition she couldn't help but feel annoyed that he hadn't helped her getting up this hill. At least they were now out of the forest in the light, so no easy prey for the vampires anymore, wherever they may be at that moment. "What is that?"

"The dimension I grew up in," Connor answered without even looking back at her.

"Wow, you grew up in another dimension? Cool…" Upon the look he was now giving her, she quickly decided that what she said maybe hadn't been the right thing to say. "Or maybe not?"

"Qourtoth is a hell dimension. I spent about sixteen years there. The vampires we fought were nothing compared to the monsters and demons I had to face there. My fa… A man with the name Daniel Holtz has raised me, taught me how to fight and to survive in a place like this," he told her.

"Was this man your father?" Dawn, curious as she usually was, wanted to know.

Connor shook his head and turned his gaze away from her, motioning with his index-finger to the city they could see in the far distance. "We should keep moving. The vampires have surely found a way to travel during daylight. They will go to this city, something must be living there and they need blood.

Dawn frowned, but nodded nonetheless, following him. He was going at a steady pace, but this time slow enough for Dawn to keep up with him. They walked in silence for a few minutes until they reached a street and kept following it. Dawn was particularly happy that there was something that resembled civilization in this dimension, but she was still a bit angry with Connor. Okay, so maybe Quortoth was a touchy subject. She understood that. But still, this silence between them was unnerving. She wasn't used to not talking to someone for that long, especially, if she was so eager to get to know him better. As far as she knew, they could be spending days, weeks, hell, maybe even months or years in this dimension – though she wasn't too fond of the latter possibilities. So she would try herself at small talk. "Uhm, and you're a member of the Fang Gang? Stupid question, I know. Why else should you've come with them…"

"Fang Gang?" Connor asked confused, now turning his attention back to the girl, but kept on walking.

"Yeah, Fang Gang, that's what we call Angel Investigation, I mean, with the whole Angel having been all fangy until a year ago thing. Uhm, you know that Angel has once been a vampire, don't you? Sorry, I'm rambling again but whatever… Now tell me, how did you become one of them? Was it because of the demons you had to fight in Quortoth?"

He shook his head no. "Angel is my father."

"Angel? Cool. But wait a second… You're like what… seventeen? Eighteen? And until a couple of months ago Angel wasn't even human and therefore not able to conceive a child, so you shouldn't even been born yet."

Connor sighed almost inaudible, before responding, "Actually, I should be a few months old. Angel is my father, but he was still a vampire, when he conceived me and according to a prophecy I shouldn't even be born. The reason why I'm still here is because my mother, Darla, staked herself, leaving just me…"

* * *

"Darla came to the Hyperion the day after we came back from Sunnydale, far advanced in pregnancy," Angel told Giles. After the latter had returned to the Summers' household with Wesley from bringing Eric home, and none of them were the least bit tired, he had asked Angel to tell him exactly how it could be that he had a son – especially a son in his teens. "You could say that we all were more than a bit surprised to see her like this – but she also got her share of surprise, when she noticed that I was human. She had tried to kill Connor, but he was protected."

"The Powers?" Giles wanted to know.

"We don't know that," Wes answered. "Because when it was time for the baby to be born, it couldn't. Darla's water broke and everything, but suddenly the contractions subsided. Someone, or something didn't want the baby to be born."

"Connor's soul… In the end Darla also had one through Connor. Instead of just letting him die, she staked herself, sacrificing her own life for our son's – the only good thing we ever did together."

"But then there was still Holtz," Cordy decided to continue, seeing as the next part would be extremely difficult for both Angel and Wesley. "He was brought to our time with the help of a demon, Sahjhan. Angelus and Darla had killed Holtz's family two hundred years ago and he wanted vengeance for that. Though he was majorly bewildered when he found out about Angel's humanity, he still wanted to revenge his family's death. There was a prophecy in the scrolls of Nyazian, a false one as we found out later, about Angel killing his son, and he used it to trick Wesley into trying to take Connor away. Holtz managed to kidnap Connor and after a huge confrontation with Angel and Wolfram and Hart, who were, or better are, also after Connor, he disappeared through a portal Sahjhan had opened – the portal to Quortoth."

* * *

"In Quortoth time moves differently," Connor said. He and Dawn were still walking towards the city and Dawn was listening to every single word he was saying. From what she had heard until now, she truly felt sorry for Connor, Angel, everyone of the Fang Gang for what they had to go through. But mostly for him. And there she thought her life was messed up. "While on earth just about one week passed, sixteen years passed in Quortoth. For those sixteen years I saw Daniel Holtz as my father, though he always told me about my biological father. About all the terrible things Angelus had done, not just to him and his family, but also to others. But he also told me about his soul and about his newly gained humanity. In Quortoth Holtz had gotten old and he knew that. He had told me that I was going to live with my true father again, once we found a way out of Quortoth, saying that it was enough punishment for Angel to not see me grow up. I could see that he was tired, so, when we finally found a way back, I obeyed his wish and stayed with Angel. Just a few days later, Holtz died." He decided to leave out the fact that it was Justine who had killed the man he had seen as his father for more than a decade and that this had been the man's wish.

"I'm sorry," Dawn just managed to say. "But… uhm… if this makes you somehow feel better… Technically I, that means Dawn Summers, have only existed for about two and a half years, too."

Connor raised an eyebrow at her. "How's that?"

"Well, you see. Actually I'm a millennia old Key – my blood opens portals as you've just witnessed – and then there was this Hellgod Glory who needed the Key to open a portal to her home dimension, so some monks made me human and sent me to the Slayer to take care of me. We all got false memories so that everybody thinks I've been there since, well," she made some air-quotes, "I've been born a bit more than sixteen years ago." Starting with this, Dawn told Connor her life story, mostly to help him see that not just his life was so messed up, but also to avoid any uncomfortable silence that might come up between them.

So they walked and talked until they nearly stumbled over two human bodies lying at the side of the road. It was an elderly couple and both were deathly pale. Dawn immediately crouched down next to them and tried to feel their pulse, but it was already gone. "They are dead," she stated, feeling tears in her eyes.

Connor knelt down next to her and turned the bodies, seeing that both of them had two puncture marks at their necks. "Vampires." He got up again and looked around, searching for any signs. He just wanted to go back to Dawn and the bodies, when he spotted some black marks on the street. They looked like tire-marks.

Dawn came up to him to see what he had found. "Seemed like someone was in a hurry. Do you really think they got this far in this short time till dawn?"

"Maybe this couple picked them up in their car earlier and they dropped them here after they drained them. Whatever, fact is that they are probably already close to this city."

"Well, what are we waiting for then? Shouldn't we hurry and follow them?"

"We should, but you're still hurt and weak."

"Connor look, it seems like there are humans in this dimension and I can't just let any more people die. It's my fault that they got to this dimension. It's my fault that this couple is dead. I have to keep them from killing more," she told him, now with new determination also feeling new strength in her body.

Upon seeing the resolved look in her eyes Connor nodded, though reluctantly. "Okay, then let's go. Maybe we will also find someone, who can take us to the city…"

* * *

The sun was already starting to set again, when Buffy and the rest of the Scoobies arrived in the city. They had no idea how late it was, but they were tired, exhausted, hungry and their feet hurt. So their first goal after having walked all day was to find something to eat. Though Xander was the first one who spotted the snack bar and sighs of relief were heard through the group, it was Spike who decided to go in and get something to eat. Much to the disappointment of the others, he came out just a few minutes later empty-handed.

"Buggers," he cursed. "Should have known that they wouldn't take our dollars. The currency here seems to be something like zeni, if I understood 'em right."

"What?" Xander whined. "Does that mean no food?"

"No food, no place to stay, no nothing…" Spike told him annoyed and stormed around a corner, just to stop dead in his tracks, when his eyes rested on something he thought he would never see again – well, at least not that soon. "Bloody hell!"


	7. Reunion

**Chapter 6: Reunion**

Spike let out a small laugh at the irony of this. There he thought they were stuck in some strange dimension that no one knew, when one of the first things he saw in this dimension was something that all, or at least most of the Scoobies should know pretty well. "Lookie lookie what I found," he said amused, more to himself than to anyone else in the group.

"Spike? What happened?" Buffy, who had thanks to her Slayer healing quickly recovered from the blood loss, wanted to know, when she came up to him.

"This happened." He pointed to a large office building at which side a large logo was to be seen – a small C surrounded by a larger C.

"And what does that mean?" she wanted to know, still confused about what Spike wanted to get at.

In the meantime the others had also arrived and following Spike's gaze they also spotted the logo and voiced out their surprise. "Hey! Do you guys see what I see?" Xander exclaimed surprised.

"This is impossible… Or maybe not… I mean, we are in another dimension and if our eyes don't betray us, what I'm quite sure of, since we all can see this logo, it does seem to be possible… Okay. Shutting up now," Willow finished her rambling, when she noticed the weird gazes the others gave her.

"Hello? Since it seems that I'm the only one here who doesn't know what's going on, can someone please enlighten me?" Buffy asked exasperated.

"Pet, let's just say that we know where we are…"

"Spike, stop speaking in riddles, please."

"Buffy," Willow now offered to explain, "this sign is the logo of Capsule Corporation. That means we're in the dimension Pan and Trunks come from."

Suddenly a huge look of understanding passed the blond Slayer's face, but before she could say anything, Anya decided to cut in. "But we don't know what time we are in."

"I think there's just one way to find out," Buffy told them determined. "Let's go there." The others agreed at once and so, hunger and exhaustion forgotten for the moment being, they walked into the direction of the CC office building.

With the new determination it didn't seem long until the Scoobies were standing in front of the main entrance. The sun was just about to disappear behind the other buildings and most streets were already lying in shadows. Spike, who had somehow become the leader of the group, after Buffy had been weakened, waited until the rest of the Scoobies were standing behind him, before he strode with forceful and secure steps into the entrance hall of the building. His black duster swirled behind him, letting him surely look quite intimidating.

Buffy and the others followed closely behind him, but Buffy herself stopped right next to Spike, when they reached a reception desk with a young brunette woman sitting behind it, who seemed to be talking to a friend on the phone, since she held the receiver of her phone fairly relaxed at her ear and giggled quite often. She and the former vampire looked around, while they were waiting to get the woman's attention and noticed that the building looked rather deserted. Her eyes rested on a clock at the wall and it showed that it was close to eight o'clock. They had actually managed to walk all day – no wonder that she and especially the others were so weary.

She was first able to avert her gaze from the clock, when she heard the tapping of Spike's fingernails on the white marble of the desk. Fortunately this also succeeded in finally getting the attention of the other woman. She heard her mumble something like 'wait a second', before she turned her gaze to the visitors in front of her. "Can I help you?" she asked with a sweet politeness that was obviously faked.

"Yes, indeed you could help us," Spike said, trying to show his best manners despite his true nature in this situation. "We need to speak to Mr. Briefs."

"Oh, I'm sorry. But Mr. Briefs doesn't welcome guests that late. He just stays late to finish some paper work." She leafed through a small book in front of her, before she looked up again. "He also doesn't have an appointment with you, Mr.-?"

"Ferrington. My name is William Ferrington," Spike answered grudgingly.

"Well, Mr. Ferrington. I think that you and your… friends," she said at length, after having given them a once over, noticing the current states all of them were in, "have to come back tomorrow. After you made an appointment, of course." Her voice was still as sweet as sugar, though it was hard for her to not throw them out into the streets because of their dirty and sweaty looks. Besides, it was quite seldom that one, no make that two, she decided after having taken a closer look at the dark haired guy in the back, hotties who could actually give the two presidents a run for their money, came to Capsule Corporation.

"Listen lady," Spike said, his voice being strained because he still tried to remain somewhat civil. In moments like this he wished that he still was a vampire so that he could show her his game face. "It is really important that we meet Mr. Briefs right now. He knows us… Or at least I hope so," he added under his breath.

"Even if he knows you, Mr. Ferrington, I can't…"

"Oh bloody hell, woman," Spike almost growled, slowly losing all of his self control, when he felt Buffy's hand on his arm. He looked down at her and followed her gaze to some kind of map of the building next to the elevator that showed that the office of the president was on the top floor. "You know what? Forget it! We don't need you to find his office. Luv, let's go."

"Wait!" the woman called, when she saw that the group went to the elevator. Unfortunately for her the doors opened at once and the group was inside before she could stop them somehow. So she quickly grabbed the receiver and dialed a number. "Security. There are intruders. Seven, I think. They're going to Mr. Briefs' office."

When the doors of the elevator opened on the top floor, the Scoobies were already expected by about ten guards with batons in their hands and guns in their belts. "Get out, one by one…" the one in the front told them and motioned with his stick to his right. "And slowly," he added.

"Come on guys," Faith said, quite flirtatiously. "You don't try to hurt us and we won't hurt you."

Some of the guards chuckled and one advanced towards Faith. "Well, you seem to be spunky. What about this deal. You and your friends will be able to leave unhurt and not arrested, when you and me, one night…" He didn't get any further, because of the fist that flew at his face, followed by a knee in his guts.

"Faith, did you have to do that?" Buffy asked and rolled her eyes, looking down at the guard who was now crouching on the ground.

"Hey, he was the one who started it," Faith defended herself.

"Can't your fight wait until later? I mean, we still have company, ya know," Spike's voice got their attention and not even a second later, the other guards rushed at them.

The Scoobies tried to fight back as well as they could without hurting any of the guards too much. While Faith was fighting alone and Willow, Tara, Anya and Xander more defended themselves than actually fought, Buffy and Spike were standing back to back. "Really Spike, it somehow seems to me as if you enjoy beating up humans way too much," Buffy told him with a slight smirk.

"Well, pet, you know that I still have two years of catching up to do," he said, while knocking the one guard he had been fighting out. "Hey Red!" he then shouted over the noise of fighting. "Don't you know some spell that keeps them out of our hair?"

"I know one, but I don't think that we should show them something like this!" she shouted back.

"Do you want us to knock them out then?"

"Okay… Now come to me and keep them away!" The other quickly obeyed, shoving the guards they've been fighting into the direction of the elevator and got behind Willow. With her eyes turning black, the Wicca extended one hand and yelled, "Protect!" A shield of yellow light appeared right at the moment one guard had pulled his gun and shot at them, and divided the corridor into two - one side being the one of the elevator where the guards were now stuck and the other side where they were and now had the possibility to go to the office without further disturbances. The bullet bounced off of the shield, much to the surprise of the guards and they could just watch helplessly, how the intruders retreated to the CEO's office.

* * *

But the racket the fight had caused didn't go unnoticed by the current occupant of the office. He raised his head, turning away from the files; a strand of long lavender hair that didn't fit into the ponytail fell out from behind his ear in front of his eyes. He wiped it away and picked up the receiver. "Mr. Briefs is speaking. What is this noise outside? I see and you didn't care to tell me about this? Did they mention any names? William Ferrington? Never heard before. No, don't call the police, yet. I think that the guards will be able to…" At that moment the door to his office was flung open and he jumped up, ready to take any attacker down. Peace had now reigned for so long, but being truly of his father's blood he had never stopped training.

But what he saw surprised him more than he could ever imagine. The person that stepped inside was completely clad in black and his hair was bleached blond. And if this didn't convince him of the identity of that person, the smirk surely did. "'ello mate. I must say, the security in this building is good, but not good enough for us."

"Spike? Is that really you?" At that moment he also noticed the rest coming inside and a large smile spread over his face. "Wow, it's really you! Welcome!"

"Trunks?" Anya's voice showed true relief and in the next moment she was hugging him. But she didn't remain the only one doing this, because soon he found himself also embraced by Willow and Tara. Faith, who wasn't as emotional as the others, and Buffy, who barely knew this guy, stayed behind. After the girls let go of him, he walked up to Faith and gathered her in his arms, though she silently protested – at least a bit, since she also had a reputation to lose, but in the end her delight in meeting him again won. He then shared a brotherly hug with Xander and shook Buffy's hand, well understanding her reluctance in the matter of hugging, before he also hugged Spike the same way he had already hugged Xander. "Oy Spike, you stink," he remarked grinning, when they let go.

"That's not a nice thing to say, Trunks… Euh, Mirai… By the way, shouldn't your other self actually be here?"

"He took a few days off… But now tell me, what brings you here to our dimension?"

"For now let's just say that we happened to do some unintentional dimension hopping and somehow ended up here, fortunately if you get my meaning. But I think we should wait with a longer explanation after we got something to eat and maybe also were able to take a shower… We've been walking the whole day in the search for some sign of life and also Dawn."

"What happened?" Mirai asked. He immediately grew worried at the mentioning that Dawn was in trouble. During the time he spent in Sunnydale he had come to love her like a sister and he couldn't bear if something dreadful had happened to her. And it wasn't even Tuesday.

"Drusilla kidnapped her to open some portal and she's now also somewhere here, we hope."

Trunks concentrated for a few seconds until he shook his head. "I can't feel her, but this could also be due to physical exhaustion. Well, let me just call my mom and then you're all invited to a huge dinner and shower. We have more than enough rooms for you. If you want, I could go and look for Dawn along with the others while you rest some. Is she alone?"

"Angel's son, Connor is with her," Buffy told him. "He's about her age and according to what Angel told me about him he knows how to defend himself. But you don't need to look for her alone. I'll come with you."

"Luv, you need to rest. We all have been up for two days. Besides, I'm sure the Bit will be fine. Otherwise you'd know it, believe me. As soon as she also sees the CC logo somewhere she'll know where to go."

Reluctantly the blond Slayer agreed. "Okay… But now, let's go. The sooner we get to your home and got something to eat the sooner we can start looking for Dawn and Connor."

Giving her an encouraging smile, Trunks picked up the receiver just to find out that his secretary was still on the other end of the line, fearfully calling his name. "I'm okay," he assured her. "No, they didn't hurt me. They're friends. Yes, I'm sure. I'm now planning to go home. Why don't you also do that? Okay, goodbye."

After he had called his mother, giving her the brief information that there would be seven friends coming over for dinner and that they would also stay some nights at CC, he turned to the others. "She's preparing everything. By the way, how did you get past the security guards? I hope you didn't hurt them too much."

"We tried to hold back as much as we could and in the end one of Red's spells kept them away from us," Spike informed him.

"A spell?" Mirai raised his eyebrows.

"Oops, the spell!" Willow suddenly remembered, her face turning slightly red, and she snapped with her fingers. "It was harmless, really… Just a protection shield and I've just deactivated it."

As if to prove her previous statement, some guards were standing in the doorframe a few seconds later, their guns raised. Mirai quickly raised his hand, to keep them from shooting. "It's okay. They are friends of mine. You can go now. If anyone of you needs to see a doctor, I'll pay the bills, of course."

Reluctantly and still warily eyeing this strange group of people that had managed to get through them, the guards left the office. "Well, now that this is cleared we can go to the jet and I promise you that in less than half an hour you'll get a warm meal."

"Great!" Xander rubbed his hands. "I'm famished."

* * *

It was already long dark, maybe two hours, maybe more. Dawn and Connor had lost track of time, mostly due to of the fact that this dimensional traveling had somehow damaged Dawn's watch. But after a long day's walk they had now finally arrived in the city they had seen the same morning from afar and though Connor still didn't show many signs of weariness, Dawn did. Her whole body, especially her feet, hurt. She was hungry, tired, dirty and cold. When they'd first walked through the city the teenagers had tried to get some food, but in vain. Every time Dawn wanted to pay, they were thrown out of the shop or bar or wherever they had tried, the owners calling them robbers, beggars and similar things.

So, when she spotted a bench, she plopped down on it with a loud sigh. "Connor, I'm sorry, but I can't go on anymore. Let us rest for a while, okay?"

The boy looked at her and seeing her exhausted form he nodded in agreement. "You stay here. I'll be back in a few minutes. I'll try again to find something to eat for you." He gave her a small smile, hoping that it would comfort her somehow and left.

* * *

It was about the same time, when three young women were leaving a cinema. All of them were giggling or laughing. "Oh god," one of them, a girl with long blue hair, laughed. "This movie was hilarious."

"Yes, it was…" her blond companion decided. "What do you think, Pan?"

The black haired girl in the group, Pan, looked up after rummaging in her small backpack. She looked up and grinned. "It was great," she said, before turning her attention back to the bag, out of which she took her cell phone just a few seconds later. "Hey, Mirai called me…"

"Why would Mirai call you? Couldn't he have just connected you through your bond?" the blue haired girl wanted to know.

"And let him ruin our girl's night? Nope, I blocked the bond for tonight. But maybe I should call him…"

"But then call him, while we're walking to the club. It's just down this street," the blonde urged on.

Having no other choice, since her two friends were already walking ahead, Pan dialed the number of her boyfriend's cell, when she suddenly heard a scream coming from a nearby alley. Alarmed she and her two friends looked at each other and went there as fast as they could. There they stopped dead in their tracks, when their gaze fell on two persons. It was dark in that alley so they couldn't see what was going on. Pan lit a small ki ball in her hand, which gave them enough light to see what's going on. "Hey!" she yelled and got the attention of the man standing with his back to her. Surprised by this sudden disturbance he let the woman in his grasps go, who also used this chance to flee, and turned to face the three girls.

"Eww, what's that?" the blue haired girl said in disgust. The face of this man was cruelly contorted. There were strangely formed bumps on his forehead, his nose had lost its normal form and the eyes of the man were glowing in a threatening gold. Blood was trickling out of his mouth.

"I can't believe it…" Pan mumbled to herself. "It's a vampire." She quickly extended her senses just to make sure that her eyes didn't betray her and indeed, this man felt like a vampire. But he wasn't the only one. "Bra, Marron. Get out of this alley. Now!" Of course she knew that Bra and Marron knew the basics of fighting, but they had never faced a vampire before and this could work for their disadvantage, especially in a small alley like this.

"Pan, why?" she heard Marron ask.

"Don't ask, just do what I say. He isn't the only one."

"Wow, the girl is good…" Their heads turned around upon hearing the voice behind them, just to see that a few more men with the same contorted faces were blocking the exit of this valley. "What are you? A Slayer?"

"Close enough." Pan ground her teeth and looked around. She had to get her friends out of there. "Bra, grab Marron and fly up to one of the roofs. I'll take care of those guys," she whispered to her friend.

"But how?"

Pan flashed her a smirk. "Just how you take care of vampires." A look of understanding washed over Bra's and Marron's faces. Bra then put her arm around her friend's waist and together they slowly but surely took off into the sky. Pan looked after them until they had landed safely on a roof, using the surprise effect that this small stunt had on the vampires to do this. She cracked her knuckles and turned to face the vampires, whose attention she now finally had. "Okay, I have no idea what you are doing here, since I've never seen any vampires in this dimension before, but be sure that you won't live long anymore."

"You wish," the vampire behind her snarled and attacked, along with the others.

The fight was evenly matched, if you remember that Pan was still holding back, the whole time looking around to find something that resembled a stake. Sure she had already dusted one vampire by burning him with a ki blast, but she'd rather wanted to do it the old fashioned way. Ki blasts could draw too much attention and she didn't want to have any civilians engaged in that fight, when she knew that she could take care of those few vamps alone. And soon she spotted the desired object – a piece of splintered wood, which end was sharp enough to pierce a vampire's heart. She smirked. Now the real fight could begin.

With a back flip over a vampire's head, who had just wanted to attack her crouching form, she got back into the middle of a circle and embedded the newly found stake in the vampire's back, turning him to dust. At that moment she noticed just how much she had missed this. She had always thought that slaying had been fun – no wonder with Faith and Spike as teachers, who had the same opinion.

She just wanted to shove the stake into another vampire's chest, when he turned to dust right in front of her eyes to reveal a dark haired youth standing behind the vampire. Stakes raised, they stared at each other intensely, both seemingly to check if the other was a vampire. After a few seconds they noticed that this wasn't a case and came to a silent agreement.

Pan watched the other teenager fight out of the corners of her eyes and was impressed. He seemed to know exactly what he was dealing with and his ki was unbelievably strong for a human. Quickly they finished the last few vamps before they turned again to each other. "Who are you?" she demanded to know.

"My name is Connor. Who are you? Or better, what are you? I can smell that you're not human. Are you a demon?"

Pan was taken aback by this. "I'm Pan. And I can safely say that I'm _not_ a demon!"

Since both of them were too occupied with glaring at each other, they didn't notice how another person appeared in that alley. "Oh my god… Pan?"

Upon hearing her name, Pan turned her head away from the youth to look who had called her name. Her eyes went wide with surprise, once she recognized the person. "Dawn?" Not even a second later the two girls were engaged in a strong hug. "What are you doing here? What happened to you?"

"Longer story… I see you've already met Connor," Dawn told her shortly. The joy of seeing her old friend and now knowing in which dimension they were was obvious on the girl's face.

"You know each other?" Connor asked confused.

Dawn nodded eagerly. "We'll tell ya later… Pan, if you don't mind, can you bring us to your home? We have been walking all day and I haven't eaten anything for more than twenty-four hours."

"Of course… You can tell me then why you're here. Oh, Mirai will be so happy to see you!" Pan said, being just as excited as Dawn, before she looked up to where her other two friends were standing. "Hey, you can come down now! The fight is over and I also want you to meet someone!"

* * *

The dinner was over and now newly strengthened, Buffy, Spike and Faith wanted to go looking for Dawn together with Mirai, the other Trunks, Goten and Gohan. After finding out just who the guests were, Bulma had called over Gohan and Videl and Mirai had even called Pan on her cell, but she hadn't responded to that call. Bulma would've also tried to contact Vegeta somehow, but he was out for some wilderness training and had told her that he wouldn't be back for a couple of days. Everyone had been surprised and excited that the Scoobies had ended up in their dimension and after hearing what had brought them there, they immediately offered their help.

They just wanted to leave, when Pan materialized in the middle of the living room, together with Bra, Marron, Dawn and Connor.

"Buffy?" Dawn asked, surprised at seeing her sister also being here in this dimension. How did she get here anyway? Wasn't the Key the only thing/person to open this portal?

Buffy's head jerked up, first now noticing his sister. "Dawn," she whispered, the relief being evident in her voice and she felt tears in her eyes. The two sisters quickly walked up to each other and shared a tight embrace.


	8. Confessions

**Chapter 7: Confessions**

Hot water was running down her skin, washing away all the dried dirt, blood and sweat from her body, as well as a big part of the exhaustion that she had felt until just one hour ago. She wondered, if Connor was feeling the same right now? And what about the others? Dawn was sure that they did. Who wouldn't? Never had a simple shower felt that good. A good, warm and plentiful meal, a hot and relaxing shower and later many hours of sleep in a warm and comfortable bed. Yes, this was what she needed.

Dawn still couldn't believe that she was here – of all places they could have ended up in, it had to be the home dimension of Pan, Mirai and the other Saiyajins. And if this didn't lighten her mood, it was the fact that she wasn't alone and with not being alone she wasn't directly talking about Mirai and Pan; she was talking about the fact that the other Scoobies also found a way to follow her and Connor. She didn't know yet, how, but she was sure that Buffy would explain it to her.

She sighed. Buffy… During dinner Buffy had told her that she would come over later that night to talk, after they all gotten washed up and were dressed in other clothes that their momentary hosts so kindly offered to provide. No matter how happy she was that her sister was now also here, she knew that she would be in for it this time. How could she explain to her how Drusilla had managed to kidnap her? And this without revealing that she had been out slaying on her own for the last few months and other things her sister didn't really need to know.

One last time Dawn held her head under the steaming stream of water pouring down on her, until she turned off the water and stepped out of the shower cabinet, wrapping her dripping body into a large towel afterwards. After having dried up, she put on the fluffy blue bathrobe she found in the bathroom and stepped into the room that she was assigned to, going through her hair with a comb. A smile lit up on her face, when she saw the person that was sitting on the bed. "Pan, hey!"

"Hey… I brought you some clothes. Nothing special, just some night clothes, a pair of jeans, a T-shirt… That should be enough until we find other ones for you tomorrow, once you've gotten enough sleep," Pan told her grinning.

Dawn walked over to the bed and grabbed the night clothes. "Thanks… I'm glad that we're here and not in some hell dimension. I really thought that the portal would get us to one, especially with Dru's crazy talking about her 'dark prince'." For a small moment the smile on her face disappeared, when she thought about the one afternoon she had spent in the school basement, tied up and gagged, so that no one would hear her, surrounded by vampires, who looked at her with those hungry eyes.

There had been only one other time when she had been this scared and this had been after Glory had kidnapped her. She didn't know what was worse, being in the hands of a crazy hell god or in the hands of a lunatic vampire. She inwardly shook her head. It didn't matter anymore. Glory – Ben – was dead and Connor had freed her from Drusilla, who was now somewhere out there, probably killing other innocent people. And this was her fault.

"Dawn, are you okay?" the other girl asked her worriedly.

"Yeah," Dawn answered quickly. "Just a bit tired, I guess."

"Oh, too tired to tell me a few stories about the Hellmouth?"

Dawn returned her friend's grin and lightly tilted her head to one side. "What about this – I get dressed in these pajamas and then I'll give you the short version of what had happened since you went home, deal?"

"Deal."

After Dawn had gotten dressed and she and Pan sat down on the bed, Dawn started to tell her tale. Both girls had missed this, a lot. They had been like sisters in the half year that Pan had spent in their dimension and next to slaying and the usual bickering that was normal among sisters, they had spent hours just sitting together and talking. Dawn told her about her patrolling with Buffy and the other Scoobies, the wannabe Big Bads that constantly appeared in Sunnydale, just to be defeated by Buffy or another Scooby a short time after their appearance and eventually got to a Big Bad that had Pan holding her stomach with laughter.

"Oh my god… Xander summoned this Sweet-guy that made you all sing?" Pan asked, wiping the tears away with the back of her hand.

Dawn nodded. "Yeah, it started so sudden… In school it was like 'boom' and we began to sing about math. I swear, this was the most entertaining math class that I ever had. And in the Magic Box, I mean, I was still in school, but the others told me that they sang a song about what kind of demon it could be and we all sang our small solos… Xander and Anya about the upcoming wedding, Willow and Tara all romantic stuff, Spike and Buffy didn't want to tell us what they sang about, as well as Giles––"

"What did you sing about?" Pan interrupted her.

"What I sang about?" Dawn's face suddenly got a slight shade paler. "I-I… It's not important… Fact is that we had this huge showdown in the Bronze where…"

"Dawn?"

The girl in question looked up and was surprised to see her sister standing in the doorframe. "Buffy…"

Pan looked from Dawn to Buffy and quickly decided that those two needed some time alone, so she got up and put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "We continue tomorrow and then you'll tell me what you sang about," she said, before she walked past Buffy, giving the Slayer a smile while doing so and left the room.

When the Saiyajin had left, Buffy stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. She went to the bed and joined her sister on it. "How are you feeling?"

The younger girl shrugged. "Still tired, but better, in the not sticky way. What about you? You still didn't tell me how you managed to follow us."

"We had a vampire, the book with the spell and blood. Everything we needed to open the portal," Buffy said. Upon the confused look on her sister's face, the Slayer continued, "I know, just the blood with the energy of the Key could open a portal, but do you remember whose blood closed the portal that the Doctor had opened for Glory."

Disbelieving, Dawn gently tugged some of Buffy's hair aside to look at her neck and really, there was a fresh scar that had already begun to heal. "The vampire took your blood."

Buffy nodded. "We don't really know how, but it seems that I, too, have some green energy in my blood. I just knew at the moment that you disappeared in the portal that it was only me who could open another one." Buffy copied the movement Dawn had done only seconds ago and revealed the scar Drusilla had left on the girl's neck. "I never wanted you to have a scar like this. I always wanted to protect you."

Dawn quickly pulled her sister into a hug. "I know. And I'm glad that you are here."

"I'm glad that you are okay," Buffy answered.

They remained like this for a long while, just enjoying each other's presence. Buffy's eyes roamed the room, noticing not for the first time that really every guest room here at Capsule Corporation was provided with everything one could need. A queen sized bed, private bathroom, TV, a closet, a drawer, a desk… Her eyes rested on the nightstand, where she suddenly saw something blink in the light. She let go of Dawn and went to the nightstand, picking up the item she had seen. It was a silver cross, dangling at a silver chain. This was… "Dawn, what is this?" She turned around and showed her sister the cross.

"This… is a cross," Dawn answered. Her hands started to feel sweaty and her heart beat hard against her chest. How could she have been so stupid? She had known that Buffy still wanted to come over and yet she had left the cross lying on the nightstand for everybody to see. She took a deep breath – she knew that she couldn't talk her way out of this and she always knew that sooner or later her sister or someone else would find out about it. "Your cross."

"Yes, this is my cross!" Buffy told her angrily. "The only question now is what you are doing with it! You knew that I've been looking for it and you didn't think you should have told me that you knew where it was?" When Dawn lowered her head to avoid her eyes, it finally dawned on Buffy. "It was you! You took it! How could you? You knew what this cross means to me, you knew that Angel gave it to me when I first met him!"

"Yes," Dawn said, for the first time since Buffy had found the cross finding her voice again. "I knew that it was from Angel. A-and I thought that you didn't need it anymore, now that you're with Spike."

"Dawn! That's stealing what you're doing!"

"No, it's not! It's borrowing. I, uhm, borrowed this from you so that no vamp would be able to bite me when I'm on patrol."

"To borrow something you have to ask first, what you clearly didn't do and besides…" Buffy hesitated. The last part of Dawn's sentence slowly registered in her mind. "You're patrolling. Alone…" she mumbled disbelieving. "Dru didn't find you. You found her."

"So what? You've been patrolling alone since you were fifteen…"

"But I am the Slayer, Dawn. It's my destiny. I have no other choice."

The teenager rolled with her eyes. "Oh please, spare me. Spare me your speech of 'Oh, poor me. I always wanted to be a normal girl but never got the chance.'."

"What happened to you, Dawn?" Buffy asked, having a look of pure shock and doubt on her face.

"I grew up. In the six months that you were gone I finally grew up," she said matter-of-factly.

"You call that growing up? Dawn, you're lying to me and to the others, you stole my cross and just god knows what else. Tell me, are there other things that you've just taken or that you are keeping from me?" Buffy noticed how her sister turned her eyes away from her and followed the quick glance to a pile of dark clothes that were lying on a chair. Buffy put the cross in her pocket and walked over to the chair. There she picked up the clothes and examined them. Those were the ones her sister had worn last night, when she had been held captive by Drusilla, but those weren't the clothes that she had been wearing when she had left the house. Moreover Buffy had never seen Dawn wearing those clothes before. The coat was made of leather, as well as the pants and boots. There was no way that her sister had had enough money to purchase them legally. Then she also remembered the birthday present Dawn had given her. This gorgeous leather jacket, with the security tag still on. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath that should keep her from exploding right then and there. "How long?"

"A few months… Shortly after you came back…" Dawn admitted defeated. She knew that her sister had caught her and she also knew that she had no chance of talking her way out of it.

"Oh god…" the Slayer breathed. "Just… why? I thought, I had everything under control… And now this. You have no idea what I have to go through, no idea what I had to give up, now have you?"

"You want to know the reason, Buffy?" Buffy turned around and looked at her sister, confusion written in her eyes. "It's always about you. Do you really think that I don't know why you've been spending so much time with me since you've come back? You just spend so much time with me to calm your own conscience."

"That's not true."

"It's not? Well then, tell me the reason why you suddenly didn't want me to patrol with you. Tell me that you didn't do this because you started to get tired of me!"

"I did this for you, Dawn! You've been slacking off in school and I promised mom to take care of you shortly before… I just did what I thought she would do and you have no idea how hard it is to find out what she would've done at my place."

"Then don't! Don't try to be like her, Buffy, because you are not her. Mom was special and no one would ever be able to replace her – not even you." She took a deep breath. "And now, get out."

"What?"

"I said, get out. I'm tired and I want to go to sleep, now." When Buffy still didn't move and was just staring at her, Dawn's voice rose to a shriek. "Get out, get out, get out!"

Buffy sighed. She really didn't need and didn't want to deal with this now. Shaking her head, she went to the door and opened it, but before she left the room, she stopped and though not facing Dawn, said, "Maybe it will really be better for all of us, when Social Services take you away…"

Dawn watched with wide eyes how her sister left the room and the door closed, too shocked to say anything, too shocked to even think. So she just lay down on the bed and curled up into a fetal-like position, first now allowing silent tears to flow down her cheeks.

* * *

Buffy entered the room that Bulma had assigned them to, not bothering to switch on the light and just sat down on the bed, burying her face in her hands. She asked herself, when exactly things had started to get wrong so that it would turn out like this. She had thought that everything was okay, that she had everything under control. But she had been wrong – obviously. Otherwise she wouldn't have the problems she had now. Dawn wouldn't be lying, stealing… hell, they probably wouldn't even been here now!

Why me? This question seemed to repeat itself over and over in her head. She had been given the chance to go to heaven and yet she had been forced to go back to earth. Not for the first time she asked herself what would have happened, if she hadn't been called in the first place. Would her mother still be alive? Would her parents still be together and all of them living in L.A. as a happy family? One thing was sure: she wouldn't be stuck in this mess right now.

But what would she have missed? She would have never met Willow, Xander, all the other Scoobies, Angel… Spike. Buffy took a ragged breath. She wouldn't be with Spike right now. He would still be a vampire, roaming the world with his crazy girlfriend, wreaking havoc wherever he could. Oh god… and Dawn. Her annoying, frustrating, maddening, bothersome, irritating little sister wouldn't be her sister. Another Slayer would know her as sister – maybe Kendra, maybe Faith or maybe even another. But Dawn wouldn't be there and alone this thought made her heart heavy.

How could she have been so blind? Was she really as self-righteous and self-centered as Dawn made her seem? That she couldn't even see what was happening to her own sister? How could she protect the Key but not protect her sister? Maybe what she had said before leaving the room was really true. She wasn't fit to take care of her sister; someone else would be able to do it better – she was sure of that now.

A warm hand on her shoulder pulled her out of her thoughts. She quickly wiped one or two unshed tears away and looked up into the worried face of her boyfriend. It was still dark in the room but after having spent years in darkness she could still see him, though she hoped against hope that he couldn't see her troubled features. She forced a smile on her face and got up, walking to the window. Everything seemed so peaceful outside with the stars blinking at the sky. She listened to the soft footsteps on the carpet and closed her eyes, when two arms encircled her waist. She put her hands over his and leaned against his hard chest. "There's no moon out there," she remarked softly.

"I know… I remember Mirai telling me one time that the moon had been destroyed – in both timelines." He chuckled lightly. "I wonder how Dru is taking this…"

"Did you talk to Connor?"

"I did," Spike replied. "Explained it to him as well as I could. And I must say that after having talked to him I think that he's more like Peaches than he wants to let on. Quiet is he, sure, also a bit broody, just like his old man is, but there's something sparkling in the boy. He's a fighter, a survivor. He even has something of Angelus in him. A certain ruthlessness, just that his hate is directed at demons, all kind of demons. I don't know what would've happened, if my dear grandsire were still a vampire."

"We will never know…" Buffy said thoughtfully, still having her own 'what-ifs' in her mind.

"Never…" he repeated. "How did your talk with Dawn turn out?" He felt how the love of his life took a deep breath and exhaled with a sad and tired sigh. "Not good, I presume?"

"She went to Dru to attack her and not like we thought the other way around. She's been out slaying on her own for the last few months and I also found out that she is stealing."

"That's not true… The Bit would never do something like this…"

"It is true, Spike. She admitted it. She also told me the reason. It's me…"

"Why would you be the reason, luv?" Spike questioned.

"She thinks that… that I'm just spending time with her to calm my conscience."

"Is she right?"

"No!" Buffy quickly responded. "She… she was the reason why I came back… Dawn and the other Scoobies…"

"Came back? What are you talking about, pet?" Spike wanted to know.

Buffy closed her eyes and let a single tear escape, before she said in a merely whisper, almost inaudible for a normal human's ear, "I had the chance to go to heaven…"


	9. The dark Prince

**Chapter 8: The dark Prince**

Spike was lying on the bed and staring at the white ceiling. It was already late in the night, maybe even close to the early morning hours, and yet he couldn't sleep. The reason for this was lying next to him in a deep slumber. She had fallen asleep out of pure exhaustion, both of mentally and physically kind, shortly after she had finished telling him what she had just remembered this very morning. Buffy. The love of his life. The woman he would give his life for. Her sudden revelation had left him stunned. Heaven. Alone the thought of it was hard to grasp. Damn those Powers! Damn them! Buffy could have finally been in a place of peace, a place where she didn't need to fight the creatures of darkness. She could have been in a place where she was happy.

He wanted to curse those that called themselves the Powers that Be. He wanted to curse them all! He wanted to stand up against them and scream that what they were doing was wrong. He wanted to yell at them that Buffy had already suffered enough, that she had done her duty as Slayer and deserved some peace. Even if that meant that he would have to live without her. He just wanted her to be happy and she didn't deserve to be put in a world that had been hell for her – not when she had been able to go to heaven. He and the Scoobies, they would have protected Dawn. Until the end of the world. He _had_ intended to keep that promise. Chip or no chip, he wouldn't have let one of those bloody wankers get near her. And the Powers knew that, they just had to know.

He swore, if he ever had the chance to meet the Powers that Be, he would give them a tongue lashing like they had never experienced before. He didn't care that they were higher beings nor did he care about what they were able to do to him once he was finished. Well, the worst thing that could happen would be that they sent him to hell, wouldn't it? Nothing to fret about. He was sure that he would be able to survive an eternity of torture as long as he had given them a piece of his mind and he knew that Buffy would be in heaven, where she belonged.

He suppressed the growl that seemed to be forming in his throat and carefully got out of the bed. There was no way that he would be able to find some sleep after what he had heard, so he might as well get up. The danger was too big that he would wake her up and she needed this sleep and the strength she would get through it for her fight against Drusilla. So he got dressed in a pair of jeans that actually belonged to Mirai and were a bit too long and one of the Saiyajin's T-shirts and silently left the room. Then he proceeded his way down the maze of hallways – once a creature of the night, always a creature of the night – until he spotted a small ray of light coming out of one of the rooms. He thought he remembered vaguely that the kitchen was somewhere in this part of the building.

So, curious as he was and as silently as a predator he walked to the door and stopped next to it, when he suddenly heard a voice, "You don't need to hide, Spike. I know that you are there."

Spike grinned and stepped into the kitchen. "Shoulda known that I couldn't sneak around without being noticed. Too many people with the ability to sense ki around here." He walked up to the table and sat down in a chair across of the dark haired girl. "And you, Pan, pray tell me what you are doing up at this late hour?"

She shrugged and took a sip of the warm brown liquid in her mug. "Couldn't sleep. What about you?"

"The same…"

Pan nodded understanding and placed the now empty mug on the table. "You also want some? Or do you rather prefer some blood?" she asked smirking.

"Sorry, luv, but I gave up on the bloody diet some time ago."

She returned Spike's grin and got up, took another mug out of the closet and filled both of them with the steaming liquid. "It's still so unreal to see you all breathing and all… Never had much time to get used to it."

The former vampire gratefully took the mug out of her hand and put it down in front of him, while she sat down. "Well, pet, can't say it's less unreal for me, still. After everything had calmed down and you guys were gone I had a pretty hard time. But Buffy and the Scoobies helped me."

"The soul?" Pan questioned.

Spike answered with a nod and Pan thought she could still see some pain in his eyes. "Never once noticed that it had been there until the nightmares began shortly after you left and my mind wasn't preoccupied with other things anymore. Nearly drove me insane."

"I can't imagine what you had to go through…"

"No, you can't…" Spike sipped at his mug and they fell into a comfortable silence. The only sounds that could be heard in the kitchen were the tick tock of the clock at the wall and the sound of slurping.

"Ya know, I've missed this – our late night cocoas," Pan told him with a compassionate smile on her face.

"Yeah… So, and how has your life been?" Spike wanted to know. A sly grin appeared on Pan's face and she extended her left hand, showing him a silver ring with a beautiful sparkling light blue stone on her ring finger. Her friend's eyes widened comically and he almost fell over with his chair in shock. "Bloody hell! The bloke proposed to you! When did that happen?"

"One month ago. He rented a whole restaurant just for us, violins were playing softly, our table was only lit by a candle and then he took out the small box, opened it and asked me to marry him."

"I never thought that our dear Mirai was this romantic…" Spike shook his head. "I can't believe our little Panny is getting married, and this without telling us."

"Don't worry. You would've known soon enough. I'm planning on getting married in Sunnydale, after all. You know, there's this one beautiful church that I've seen during my patrols and I always wished that I could get married in there. And who knows," she winked at him, "maybe this will even be a double wedding."

"What are you…?" For the second time within a few minutes Pan had managed that Spike's eyes widened. "Oh…"

"Come on, I know how much you love her and you know how short the life span of a Slayer could be. Haven't you asked her yet?"

"You have no idea how often I wanted to do it. I mean, I have the ring already, always carry it with me, don't ask why, but I'm just waiting for the perfect moment. Buffy's life has never been perfect and I didn't want to ask her on the spur of the moment. Only two, three days ago I thought I would finally do it. Buffy had been down that day, because her partner had gotten her into trouble, and I wanted to make her feel better. But then Dru came and destroyed my plan. Well, and now, we're here."

"Hey," Pan spoke softly and took Spike's hands. "And as soon as this is over you can ask her. It's not like she will die in this dimension. All of you have faced much stronger demons than Drusilla and I'm sure that Buffy will be strong enough to defeat her. And if she needs help, we're also there."

"Thanks, luv, but please do me one favor," Spike said with a sudden seriousness in his voice. "If you meet Drusilla, don't underestimate her. I've seen her bring down the strongest men with her mojo and she has even killed one Slayer."

The Saiyajin smiled at him. "Still wanting to protect me, big brother Spike?"

"Of course…" he replied, also smiling. He stretched his arms away and yawned. "Well, what do you think? Should we give sleep another try? The sun's going to rise in two or three hours and I don't think that we would be of much help, if we didn't get any sleep."

"Okay."

Together they walked along the corridors, until they arrived at Spike's and Buffy's room, where they said goodnight to each other and parted.

* * *

It was about the same time in a different part of the city, when a black haired man landed in a small green clearing. It was no one else than Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyajins, dressed in his blue gi. The clearing was in a small park, surrounded by trees that gave the whole situation a ghostly touch. The light fog that was floating just above the ground only added to that touch. Everything was completely silent, no people were to be seen or to be heard, but still Vegeta felt something strange going on.

He had the feeling already the whole day, since shortly before sunrise. Something was off, not quite right and he sensed that the source of this was here, in this park. He expanded his senses, but he couldn't feel any kis in the close distance, and yet, he felt _something_. He couldn't quite lay a finger on it. His senses were on full alert because he didn't know what to expect. There had only been one other time, when he had gotten these weird vibes and this had been, when…

A sudden rustle in the bushes tore him out of his thoughts and his eyes stared into the darkness of the trees. It took a few seconds, but eventually he could make out the forms of a person, a woman. She was wearing an old fashioned black dress and had long black hair. He relaxed a bit, thinking that this woman couldn't possibly hurt him in any way. And then, finally, when she stopped in front of him and he could see her pale face in the faint starlight, he knew what had felt wrong.

"You're a vampire," he simply stated, but still didn't think of her as threat. After all, one small ki-blast and she was dust.

"This I am…" this mysterious vampire answered in a sing-song voice. "You're smart."

Vegeta snorted. "Of course I am. Now tell me, how did you get here and what do you want?"

She made tsking sounds with her tongue and started to circle the Saiyajin. "You're not nice."

"I'm known for not being nice."

A small giggle escaped her throat. "I know, the stars told me. They told me, too, that you would come here tonight. Do you want to know what they also told me? They told me what you are."

"So, tell me. What am I?" Vegeta didn't know what to make out of this woman – vampire. She was obviously crazy, but still he had a gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach that something wasn't right. But he didn't expect the answer she gave him.

"You're evil. I can see it in you, feel it. This power in your body is not made for good purposes. You don't belong here. You are a man surrounded by fools who cannot see his strength, his vision, his glory. You are a creature of the darkness, just like me." By now she was standing next to him, so close that he thought he could feel the coolness of her skin on his body. He stiffened ever so lightly, but still didn't do anything to stop her. "Don't deny it, because you know I'm right." She moved further so that she was now standing directly in front of him and looked directly into his eyes. "I see what you want – the darkness. You have always been a part of it. You are more than just a warrior, more than a warrior that has become soft, weakened by people that call themselves friends. But I can free you from this. I can give you what you truly desire. I can make you what you were. I can help you to become the Prince of Darkness, my dark Prince."

"The dark Prince," he repeated in a whisper.

"Do you want it?"

Vegeta wanted to say something, wanted to move to show her that he didn't want it, but something seemed to keep him from doing it. Instead he gave her a light nod with his head, though he couldn't fathom why he did it. He couldn't remove his eyes from the dark haired vampire in front of him. He wanted to say that she was wrong, when at the same time something was awakening in him. A feeling he had long since buried. He could feel it, the desire that she was talking about.

She began to sway slightly from one side to the other and involuntary, as if he was a puppet moved by strings, he followed her movements, first only with his eyes and in the end with his whole body. "Look at me…" she breathed, barely audible to him. "Be in my eyes… Be… in me."

When she stopped swaying his mind refused to work. He was caught in her eyes with no way to escape. Not even a man with the strongest will could break free from those eyes. He couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't feel. Time seemed to stand still. Suddenly the woman in front of him changed, her black hair became an aqua color and her dark eyes became blue. She was even dressed differently. Instead of the black dress she wore a short red one. "Woman," he groaned, unable to think straight. Something in his mind was screaming at him that this wasn't his mate, but he couldn't hear this voice.

A small shiver ran down his spine, when _Bulma _touched his face with her chilling hands. Her finger traveled over his cheekbones down to his collarbone, tracing a small faint scar, where she placed a small kiss on the soft skin. Vegeta couldn't suppress a groan and closed his eyes, dwelling in the pleasure this simple touch was giving him.

"Don't be afraid, my Prince," _Bulma's_ voice said. "It won't hurt – much."

His eyes sprang open and he hissed sharply, when he felt something sharp piercing the sensitive skin of his neck at exactly the same spot, but what followed was indescribable. He felt it, the blood circling in his veins. He swore his could feel _his_ blood in her veins. Vegeta became lightheaded though he couldn't quite make out why with his clouded mind. He didn't know how much time passed, the pain in his neck ceased eventually and he could feel himself drifting in and out of consciousness. The last thing he was just partially aware of was a metallic taste in his mouth, before he eventually gave in to the darkness.

* * *

Bulma awoke gasping, sitting straight up in her bed. Her whole body screamed with an excruciating pain, but the worse was the agonizing throbbing in her neck. Tears shot into her eyes, as she fought for consciousness. Oh god, it hurt so much. But as sudden as the pain appeared, it disappeared again, though it somehow left a gaping hole in her soul. She remembered vaguely the only other time, when she had felt something close to this. This one time had been many years ago and she did her best to suppress those memories.

She fell down on the bed, being drained of all her strength and with tears streaming down her face, fell into a dreamless slumber.

And hopefully, in the morning, she would wake up and find out that everything had only been a bad dream – a nightmare –, and that her husband and mate, Vegeta, was not dead.

* * *

_A/N: Some quotes were taken from Buffy Episode 5.07 "Fool for Love"._


	10. Saiyajin revamped

**Chapter 9: Saiyajin revamped**

When Spike eventually woke up the next morning, the room was already filled with light. He squinted with his eyes, getting used to the harsh sunlight. His hand wandered over the blanket and found the other side of the bed empty and cold. Confused he sat up, only to see Buffy sitting on a chair on the other side of the room, carving stakes. A quick glance at the clock told him that it was already noon and he wondered, why they had let him sleep that long.

As if sensing what was going on in his mind, Buffy turned to him. "Vampires usually don't attack during daytime and since we all didn't get much sleep in the last few days, I let you sleep in."

Spike couldn't suppress a chuckle, as he got up and walked up to his girlfriend. He gave her a small peck on the lips and then asked, "How long you've been up already?"

"A couple of hours… I had to do something…"

He smiled at her and went changing his clothes. "And how are you feeling? Have you already talked to Dawn?"

"Just peachy and no. Pan took her shopping for us earlier this morning. I will talk to her once we're home again. There are now more important things to do, like finding Drusilla," she told him and though Spike had turned his back to her, he could hear in her voice that she had turned her attention already back to the piece of wood in her hand. If there was one thing about her that was disturbing him, one small flaw, it was her habit of finding refuge in the land of denial. Just pretend that the bad things didn't happen, just like she never talked about her training, or stay in general, at the Council of Watchers in those six months they had believed her dead.

She almost acted as if she had never been there. He knew that she must have learned some new things there or at least have gotten stronger. Hell, though he had gotten stronger himself after being turned human, he still hadn't stood a chance against her and now, when she was patrolling or sparring with him, he could tell that she was holding back. She was denying everything, all the things she could use to her advantage in her fight against the forces of darkness and maybe also prolong her life – and this worried him deeply.

"Well then," he said at length, after having dressed himself in a pair of black jeans and a black T-shirt, "I'll go grab some breakfast." He went again up to her and pulled her into a deep and soft kiss. "I'll see you later." He was just about to leave the room, when he turned back again, his hand resting on the doorframe. "Luv, Buffy, you know, when you need someone to talk to… I'll be there…"

The Slayer looked again up from her almost finished stake and smiled at him, though he could tell that it was faked. "Sure."

He removed his hand from the doorframe and forced himself to return her smile. Maybe she just needed some time, some time to get over the sudden revelation, over her problems with Dawn, get over the other things that were troubling her, or at least learned how to deal with them. He only wished that she would let him in, that she would let him help her. A relationship should be built on trust, but if she didn't trust him enough to confide in him, then how much did their relationship mean to her?

There it was again, the fear that was plaguing him ever since they had gotten together, the fear he had kept from everyone. What if she didn't really love him? What if she only used him, because he was a convenience, something to let her forget what she had experienced with the Council, a refuge? He inwardly shook his head. Buffy would never think like that of him, never. She loved him – she just had to.

"Okay… uhm… if you need me somehow, I'll be in the kitchen," he told her eventually and left the room.

* * *

Connor sat in one corner of the living room of the large building that seemed to be known as Capsule Corporation. After Dawn and this other girl, Pan, had come back from their shopping trip, everyone had come together in the living room. There were now even more people than the evening before. Spike had told him who those people were, but he still had a hard time to understand everything. As far as he understood this new black haired man was the older brother of this Goten-guy and Pan's father and the woman at his side his wife. But there were just too many people gathered in the room for him to remember each and every single name.

But fact was that he felt like he didn't belong there. Most people seemed to know each other; even most of the so-called Scoobies were acquainted to the people of this dimension. So, there he was, sitting all alone with no one to talk to. They were all too busy talking about this crazy Drusilla-woman, how to find her and what to do about her, to notice him.

But at least he wasn't the only person without anyone to talk to. On the other side of the room was this blue haired woman – he thought he remembered her name to be Bulma. She seemed to be somewhere else with her thoughts and he also didn't think that her face had been this pale the night before. But again, the others didn't seem to notice. They didn't notice that the woman looked almost… dead.

* * *

He was lying on his back. The ground underneath his body was hard like rock, damp and cold – and yet it wasn't as uncomfortable as it usually felt to be, at least not the coolness of the stones. To be precise, he felt like he couldn't care less if his environment was boiling or icy, since his body didn't show any physical reaction towards it.

_Bump-bump_

His eyes fluttered open.

_Bump-bump_

He sat up, slowly, taking in his surroundings. He was in something that resembled a cave, lit by candles. Somewhere to his right he could hear water dripping, but there was one sound that drowned this noise out.

_Bump-bump_

He got up and looked around and there he saw her, huddled together in a corner behind him. A blond girl, not older than twenty. He took a step forward and a stone cracked under his booted foot. The girl looked up upon hearing this noise and he couldn't help but stare at her with hungry eyes. Out of a small cut just above her eyebrow trickled some blood and he had to lick his lips at this sight.

_Bump-bump. Bump-bump._

This thumping noise increased and he could smell fear in the air. This combination of blood, fear and this noise made him even hungrier. With the stride of a predator he walked up to the girl and lifted her up at her arm, pinning her against the wall. The smell of fear became stronger; she started to weep silently. A low growl emitted from his throat and he felt how the bones in his face shifted.

_Bump-bump. Bump-bump. Bump-bump._

The girl screamed and he instinctively sank his newly-grown fangs into her neck. He moaned against her skin, when he felt the warm liquid invading his mouth. He sucked deeper, faster, not wanting to stop, until girl went limp in his arms and the screaming stopped, along with the thumping noise. She was dead.

He let go of her, when he heard steps behind him and turned around. He recognized her as the dark haired woman from the previous – was it previous? – night. She was walking up to him with swaying hips and a small, if not somewhat crazy, smile on her face.

"I see you found my small gift." The voice was soft, melodic, just like the other night. "How do you feel?"

His gaze wandered to the dead girl on the floor. "Hungry."

"You'll soon get more… As soon as the sun is down, we go hunting," she told him and gently stroked over the ridges on his face, but he turned it away and walked past her to the direction she had come from.

He could hear her footsteps following him, as he wandered through a small hallway at which end he came into another cave. It was also almost completely dark in there, except for the light that was thrown in from around the corner. He pointedly ignored the looks the other occupants, the other vampires in this small cave, were giving him and followed the light, until he stood in the cave's entrance.

He could feel fresh warm air reaching his face, though it meant nothing to him. Neither did he need to be warmed nor did he need to inhale this air. The entrance was lying in the shadows, hidden in trees, but one small sunray reached it and it stopped directly in front of him. His face shifted back to normal, as he watched the play of light and shadow on the green grass, his golden eyes returning to their usual coal black color.

"This is not your world anymore," the soft voice behind him said. "Your world is now the darkness; is me."

His hand reached out into the ray of light, but he didn't even flinch, when steam rose up and a sizzling sound came from his skin. He turned it from one side to the other, regarding it with a certain curiosity, fascinated by the simple fact that his skin was literally burned by the sun. He clenched his fists and pulled it back into the shadows, watching how the steam subsided and the only thing left were some slight burns. He let his fist fall to his side and clenched the other as well.

Closing his eyes he took an unneeded breath and concentrated, until his body was surrounded by a golden aura and even this golden aura exploded around him, whirling up dust and other debris of rocks. The vampires in the cave jumped up at this sudden explosion and stared in shock at the newcomer, of which their 'Princess' seemed to be so fond of.

His mouth curled up in a smirk, as he felt the familiar power run through his body and saw the sparkling energy crackling around his fist. It felt even stronger than before and he _knew_ that now, he was truly the strongest being in the universe and for the first time in a really long time felt truly free – free of fear, free of this softness that had been built up over all the years, free of guilt. Just one small thing was still missing.

He let loose of the energy, letting the golden aura subside, turned around and walked past the stunned vampires back to his own cave. "When the sun is down," he told them, "I'll go out."

* * *

Night had fallen over the Western Capital and its surrounding area and most of the Scoobies, along with the Saiyajins, were out on patrol to find this crazy woman, Drusilla. Bulma rubbed her temples as she looked into the mirror in her room. The only light in the room was coming from the lamp on her nightstand, but it was enough for her to see how she looked like – burned out; dead. This feeling of emptiness hadn't left her and she didn't know what she should make out of it. She was scared, yes, that something might have happened to her mate, something terrible. But could she tell the others? No, there was enough trouble right now with the appearance of the vampires and the Scoobies.

She hadn't been herself all day. She hadn't even been able to follow the entire conversation and planning this afternoon. She had been there, but only in body and not in mind. She only vaguely remembered a fight between the Slayer and her sister about patrolling, which had ended up with the younger girl storming into her room, followed by Pan, who had then declared that she would stay at home with Dawn. Everyone else was out, gone in small groups to have a better chance to locate the vampires.

She jerked up when she heard a small knock at the glass door of her balcony. Warily turning around, she saw a shadow being thrown into the room through the curtains. Her hands started to shake, when she slowly opened the drawer and pulled out a knife, which she kept there only to be on the safe side when she was alone. The chair made no sound as she moved it and got up, taking careful steps towards the window front. Bulma took one deep breath, before she pulled the curtains aside and immediately dropped the knife, when her hand flew to her mouth.

Trembling fingers fidgeted with the lock at the door and as soon as it was open she stormed out and threw her arms around the man's neck. "Oh god, Vegeta… You're okay… I was so worried… I thought that…" She looked at him, giving him an once-over, when she noticed how dirty he was. "Oh my… Come inside… Just look at yourself… Where the hell have you been?"

Vegeta ignored the woman's further ramblings after hearing the invitation, his lips curling up into a smirk. Bulma however didn't notice this, because she was already on the way back inside, her spirits lightened upon seeing her mate standing there, seemingly being okay. He followed her inside.

Bulma went over to the closet and opened a drawer, taking out new clothes for the Saiyajin – his favorite clothes next to the armor: black leather pants, top, vest and boots. While doing this she continued telling him about the appearance of the Scoobies and that they were now all out hunting the vampires. One time she looked up, expecting to see him when looking into the mirror, but turned around confused, when the mirror hadn't shown him. But he was there, standing next to the bed and looking around. Only just stopped, her hands started shaking again. Vegeta was there, but she couldn't see him in the mirror. She knew what this phenomenon meant. But…

No, that couldn't be true. How would they be able to… Vegeta was a Saiyajin, so it was impossible… It couldn't be…

Shaking her head to free her mind of those thoughts, she picked up the clothes and put them on the bed. She forced a smile on her lips. "Here you are… Uhm, why don't you take a shower and after that eat something? There's still some dinner left…" Though she knew better somewhere deep inside, her mind and heart refused to believe the obvious fact that her mate didn't have a reflection and turned her back to him, walking to the door. "Knowing you, I'm sure you are hungry."

The smirk on his lips widened and his face shifted, ridges appearing on the forehead, eyes turning golden and his canines becoming sharper. "You have no idea…"

Bulma tensed when she felt a strong and cold grip on her shoulder directly after Vegeta had answered. She briefly closed her eyes and turned around. Though she actually should have been prepared for what she was going to see, she wasn't and her scream echoed through the whole building.

* * *

The two girls looked up immediately after having heard this scream, both having horrified expressions on their faces. "Bulma," Pan exclaimed and jumped up. Dawn followed her older friend, but not before grabbing a crossbow that Mirai had brought them shortly before he and the others had left, just 'in case'. And it seemed like they actually might need it.

The girls ran along the corridors until Pan stopped and kicked the door to the master bedroom open. She saw Bulma pushed against a wall by a dark figure. "Get away from her!" she yelled and formed a small ki ball in the palm of her hand. Golden eyes of a distorted face looked at her, but she would recognize this face everywhere. The ki ball died down and tears shot into her eyes. "No…"

The vampire growled at them, but let go of Bulma. Dawn, who hadn't recognized the vampire, reacted fast, raised the crossbow and fired – he would have been dust, if the arrow hadn't bounced off the vampire's chest as if it were nothing. None of them had time to react, when the vampire grabbed the clothes on the bed too fast for a human eye to see and fled the room, taking off into the sky.

Pan wanted to follow him, but only got as far as the balcony when Dawn's voice called her back. The younger girl was kneeling next to a shaking and sobbing Bulma, who was now huddled on the floor. She looked once again at the sky with a desperate look on her face and sent a message at her mate. _'Mirai! Come home, now!'_


	11. The Offer

**Chapter 10: The Offer**

„I can't believe it," Trunks muttered for what appeared to be the hundredth time since he and the others had gotten back after having been called by Pan. He looked around the room and only saw the faces of the other Saiyajins that very much resembled his own. Confusion, worry, desperation, grief…

It had been a shock to all of them, even a bit for the Scoobies, but most of all to his mother and sister. The two Briefs-women were huddled together on the couch. Bra still had silent tears running down her cheeks, while his mother only had a blank look on her face, with her hand covering the now patched-up spot on her neck, where she had been bitten. Most of the others were standing in the room, leaning at a wall, or sitting on a chair, while he himself was nervously pacing back and forth. He ran a hand through his hair, while again posing the question that seemed to be in everyone's mind. "Why dad? It doesn't make sense…"

The question hung above them like a heavy cloud, as the Saiyajins looked at each other, at a complete loss of words. The Scoobies shuffled nervously with their feet, not wanting to disturb the grieving friends. The silence that followed the question was deafening. Pan's tears had dried long ago, after having only allowed herself to shed a few, when Mirai had hugged her as if his life depended on it. By now her mind was working hard at finding a solution to this, playing through possible scenarios, as she was already thinking again like a Scooby.

"It does…" Pan stated eventually, her voice barely above a whisper. She hated herself for doing so, for understanding what the others didn't, or didn't want to. She hated herself for stating what they should have known all along. "They chose the strongest fighter among us and we also know that Drusilla has been talking about her dark prince the whole time. We should have known… It was so simple, so obvious. But what I don't understand is, how she managed to turn him. When Dawn fired the crossbow at him, the arrow just bounced off his chest. So how…"

She didn't need to talk further. They all were asking themselves the same question. How could the strongest Saiyajin alive become a victim of a vampire, if not even bullets could harm him when he wasn't powered up at all? It didn't make sense.

Only one person seemed to know the answer to this and ready to give it.

"Remember what I told you the other night, pet?" Spike's voice interrupted the silence. "Dru might not be what most people consider sane, but there's one thing she's better at than most other vampires. I think Buffy knows what I'm talking about, since our good ol' friend Drac used the same on her."

"You think she put a thrall on him?" Pan wanted to know, knowing what Spike was talking about through tales of the Scoobies.

"Do you know a better way to make a strong warrior completely defenseless?" Spike looked at her, abhorring the fact that he had to be the one who had to explain this. Even though he hadn't gotten to know him that well, he knew that he would've liked Vegeta. The two of them were alike, and he also knew that Pan had a soft spot for him.

"That does make sense," the Saiyajin admitted, putting on a brave face. Of all the people in this dimension, she was one of the two who could completely understand what the Scoobies were talking about. During those six months that she had spent with them, believing to be a Slayer, she had learned a lot. "Pulling some strings with her mojo, maybe making him see things…" She trailed off, her gaze wandering to Bulma.

Suddenly, the silence that had once again fallen, was disturbed, when Buffy grabbed her coat and went to the door without saying a word. She would have left the room, if Spike hadn't put a hand on her arm to stop her. "What are you doing?"

"There are still a couple of hours until the sun rises and there are vampires out there, of which one is a Saiyajin, killing, or worse, turning innocent people," she told him curtly. "I doubt that he will come back here tonight, knowing that we will be alert, so I have to go to him."

"Buffy, luv, you can't go out there. You have no idea what you're up against." Spike tried to remain cool, but with everything that had happened in the last few days it was hard, especially for him, since he had never been known for his calmness.

"I'm the Slayer, Spike, and he's a vampire. Vampire. Slayer. Slayer kills vampire. It's as easy as that."

"This is suicide, Slayer!" The former vampire's patience was now really running thin and he now grabbed her arm tighter, whirling her around as she once again turned to leave. "This Saiyajin will tear you in half without even breaking into sweat."

"B," Faith decided to step in. "Spike's right. You won't stand a chance. None of us would, not even the other Saiyajins. He's a number too big for us. We have to find another way."

With a heavy sigh, Buffy hung her head. She hated to admit this, but Faith and Spike were right. Still, she was the Slayer. What good was her calling, if she couldn't even defeat one lousy vampire? Shaking her head to get rid of this thought, she looked again into Spike's worried blue eyes, and winced. They weren't angry like she expected them to be, no, she could see the fear in them. Spike was scared, for her. "It's my duty, Spike," she said softly. "It's my duty as Slayer and to see something like this happen only means that I've failed. It's my fault that there's yet one more dangerous vampire on the loose and—"

"You're wrong," a quiet voice from a darker corner of the room whispered. Dawn raised her head and got up, walking up to them. "It's never your fault, Buffy. If you want to blame someone, it's me. If I hadn't gone looking for Dru, if I hadn't been too confident of my abilities, none of this would have happened. I'm sorry." The teenager not only said this directed at her sister, but also at everyone else in the room. "But," she continued, her voice gaining in strength, "I once learned that it doesn't help to blame yourself or anyone else. We have to do something, something that doesn't involve dying."

"Dawn is right," Pan agreed. "The first rule of Slaying is – _Don't die._ At least that's what I've been taught. None of us is going to do something that will kill us and fighting… _him_ now surely will. There has to be another way!" Pan looked at the others expectantly. It was hard, but she had to accept it. Vegeta was one of the demons that she and the rest of the Scoobies were killing for a living.

"Willow," Goten suddenly said, surprising the redheaded witch. "Pan told us that you once managed to resoul a vampire… Couldn't you just… I mean, wouldn't it be possible to simply resoul Vegeta?"

Shaking her head,Willowlooked at him with apologizing eyes. "I'm sorry. I already thought about this as well, but to do this I need an Orb of Thesulah, of which I'm note sure if it even exists in this dimension. It might take weeks to find one."

"Uhm," Faith said hesitantly. "Speaking of orbs… What about those neat spheres of yours that made Spike and Angel human? I remember a huge dragon. Can't he help us?"

Buffy appeared to be a bit confused, seeing as she hadn't been there when Shenlong had been summoned, having only heard about it, as was Connor. However, the teenager wasn't really confused about the fact that a dragon had turned his father and Spike human, because Angel had explained everything to him and after having grown up in a hell dimension like Quortoth, he was quite used to dragons.

No, he was more confused about something else that had caught his eye. Before anyone could even say something about Faith's idea, he pointed to the window and said, "Hey guys… Is it normal that you have a black man on a magic carpet floating in front of your window?"

Gohan's ears immediately perked up at this and he hurried over to the large window, opening it. "Mr. Popo!" he exclaimed surprised. "What are you doing here?"

The short black man floated into the living room and once the carpet had set down on the floor, got up from his sitting position and turned towards his friends. "I is having no time. I must be back before vampires notice me. Dende is sending me. We is knowing of current predicament and Dende offers help to defeat vampires. He is wanting to ask the Slayer to come to Lookout and train in Room of Spirit and Time for confrontation."

"The Room of Spirit and Time?" Faith asked confused, thinking hard. She knew that she had heard of this room, something Mirai had told her. "Isn't this… this strange room, where time passes differently?"

"One year inside equals to one day outside," Gohan quickly explained. "But that's not all. It's practically another dimension. First of all, only two people can enter the room at the same time and also just for two days. The gravity in this room is higher than outside, the air is thinner and there are also extreme fluctuations in the temperature. It's the perfect training environment, but not many people are able to stay inside longer than a couple of months. We only managed to stay in there longer because we are Saiyajins."

"So what?" Faith asked, shrugging. "Me an' B are Slayers. We can take on everything."

"I is sorry to tell you, Miss Faith, but you won't be coming," Mr. Popo told her regretfully. "Only other Slayer is allowed. No one else."

Buffy raised her eyebrow at the small man. If she weren't the Slayer living on the Hellmouth and therewith used to strange things, she probably would be completely wigged by this conversation. Spheres that could fulfill almost any wish you had, strange rooms in other dimension and uber strong vampire/Saiyajin crossings that could kill you with their little finger weren't your everyday phenomena, even on the Hellmouth. "Why just me? Why can't Faith come with me, or, when she isn't allowed, Spike or another of those Saiyajins? I'm not sure that training alone will help."

"Oh, but you won't be alone." Everyone stared at Popo as if he had grown a second head, waiting for him to continue instead of just grinning at them with this mischievous smile on his face. "You'll be having personal trainer. He is meeting you inside."

"Alright." Crossing her arms over her chest, she stepped up to him. Buffy, the girl was gone, instead, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was in charge. "When will I start?"

Popo smiled at her, a genuinely encouraging smile. "Dende is expecting you in the morning, after dawn. It being too dangerous now outside. You go get a good night's sleep, before starting training." The black man stepped again onto his carpet and sat down Indian style, as the carpet began to float again. "Before I forget. Miss Faith's idea is good. Honestly I am doubting of you being able to defeat Vegeta, once you're out of Room of Spirit and Time, but maybe you'll be able to buy enough time for others gathering Dragonballs."

"Wait," Gohan said confused, "but it hasn't been a year since we've used them… The Dragonballs are still only stone spheres."

"No, they not stones," Popo told him. "You used them in other dimension. Magic of Dragonballs got confused in portal. Time is moving differently in there. You can use them again, but they be spread all over world again. I'll see you in the morning."

Once Mr. Popo was gone, Buffy turned to the others and said with authority, "Okay… You heard him. I'm going into this room and train. I have to take this chance, even if it doesn't help us. But while I'm in there, it doesn't have to mean that you can't do anything, so this is the plan…"

Spike watched Buffy, his Slayer, with pride, as she told the others about the plan that she had devised within a couple of minutes. It truly was a brilliant plan, if a bit risky. A lot of pressure was resting on the witches' shoulders, but he wasn't worried about them, they would do just fine. Buffy counted on them to protect the Lookout, where all of them were planning to go come dawn. It was a too great risk to stay at Capsule Corporation, not only becauseWillowwasn't sure, if she could perform the de-invite spell without proper ingredients, but also because, invited or not, Vegeta could easily destroy the building from the outside.

But still, Spike didn't like it at all that his Buffy was about to go into this bloody room all alone. He didn't care that this Dende said that her trainer would meet her there. Buffy wouldn't see her family for what appeared to be two years, and this just after everything that had happened. He was scared for her, scared that she might come out of this room as a changed person, scared that this room would do something to her to drive her over the edge. He had already feared that she was going to get killed, when she had declared to go out to find the vampires not even half an hour ago. Spike had seen it in her eyes, the desperate wish to go, the longing for what she had been denied twice already – heaven. She wouldn't have returned – they would have lost her.

With his fists deeply buried in the pockets of his leather duster, he fingered the small square box. Maybe, maybe he should ask her now. Maybe this would give her the will to go on. But with one look into her blazing eyes, Spike knew that the time wasn't right. This before them was the Slayer, not the girl. The determination didn't leave enough space for emotions.

However, the former vampire knew that her special training probably wouldn't be enough. She was still _just_ a Slayer, while her opponent had the advantage of his alien heritage. He was strong, much stronger than Glory and they didn't even have a troll hammer this time around. Their only hope seemed to be those Dragonballs they keep talking about. They had two days to gather all of them, two days before Buffy would come out of the room and take the fight to the vampires. Two days, from dawn until dusk, because at night it would be too dangerous to leave the Lookout. Then it would be Willow's and Tara's turn to give everything they had to erect a shield around the Lookout that was powerful enough to hold a Saiyajin turned vampire at bay.

A silent sigh escaped his lips, as possible 'what ifs' fought their way into his mind. What if it wasn't enough? What if they didn't manage to collect the Dragonballs in time? What if Vegeta broke through the barrier on the Lookout and killed them all?

He felt so helpless. He wasn't allowed to go with Buffy into this room. He didn't know magic. He couldn't fly and because of that couldn't help the Saiyajins to collect the Dragonballs. Despite the fact that he had kept his vampire strength, he had no special powers. Bugger! There just had to be something he could do!

Spike's eyes wandered around the room. Buffy was still talking with the others about the details of the plan; only one person was still sitting at the sidelines with an empty and at the same time thoughtful look on her face. The older woman, Bulma, who just two days ago, when they had come here, had welcomed them all so warmly and immediately offered them to call her by her first name, now appeared to be dead. It had hit her the hardest of them all, even harder than her daughter, who was now helping putting the plan into motion. It was understandable. Pan had told him about the Saiyajin bond and what happened, when one of the partners died. It must be terrible.

Pushing himself from the wall he was leaning up, Spike walked up to her and sat down next to her on the couch. "I'm sorry."

Bulma looked up at him a bit startled, as if just now noticing that he was there. She tried to give him a small reassuring smile that she was alright, before looking at the discussing group in the middle of the room. "She's a born leader," she remarked quietly, watching as Buffy coordinated the group.

"That she is. Only sometimes too stubborn for her own good. But sometimes this stubbornness is what helps her to pull it through." Flashing her an encouraging smile, he gently squeezed her shoulder. "Don't worry, Bulma. They'll get your mate back to you."

Much to his surprise, Bulma only nodded absently, a sudden determination flashing in her eyes. Spike somehow got a bad feeling about this. It almost seemed as if she was planning something and the only thing he could think of, was…

Suddenly an idea shot through his head, about how he could help, but before he could do anything, he needed to wait. If he was right, he could make at least one tiny difference, maybe enough of a difference to help them win this battle.

He smirked, as he leaned back on the couch and watched the others.

Maybe he could help them after all.

No matter what the cost.

* * *

As soon as the sun rose the next day, the Scoobies and what remained of the Z-warriors were gathered on the Lookout. They had gone there with one of Bulma's jets the moment the first light was to be seen at the horizon, knowing that they were now out of danger in the sky. Dende, the green guardian of this planet, had already expected them and offered them a huge breakfast.

Spike looked around the gathered group at the table, the whole time nervously playing with the box in his coat. His throat was incredibly dry and he couldn't eat a thing, still a small smirk tugged at his lips, when he remembered the previous night.

Buffy had been incredibly tense, still in Slayer mode, so Spike had done the only thing he knew to help her relax in a situation like this. He had made her forget, taken her to heaven, until she had fallen asleep spooned up against him. At this moment, while he had been watching her sleep, Spike had made up his mind. Before she disappeared in this room and before he set his own plan into motion, he was going to ask her.

Grudgingly, Spike rose from the table when the last Saiyajin had emptied his plate and declared that he was full along with the others. In only a few minutes Buffy would be gone and she would first be seeing him again in two years – if at all, he reminded himself with new determination. He didn't want to let her go, but he kept his mouth shut. She had her mind set on this and wouldn't back down. He knew her simply too well.

Too soon for his liking they were standing in front of the wooden door that would lead into the Room of Spirit and Time. Dawn was clinging at Buffy's neck, telling her to be safe, before letting go and stepping back. The others also said their goodbyes and in the end, she was looking at him.

"Spike…" she began, not quite knowing what to say. She knew things hadn't been good between them for the last few days – not even the previous night could make up for that - and it hurt her to go in there now with all those things between them. There were just too many possibilities of how things could turn out, too many bad endings and too few happy endings.

"Buffy…" he croaked and suddenly she was hugging him tightly. He sighed in relief, as he also put his arms around her, holding her tightly for the next few moments, until he suddenly got down on one knee and pulled out the box. There were many gasps around them, as he opened the box to reveal the silver ring with the blue stone. "I know, this might not be the best moment, but this might be the only chance I ever get, so…"

"Spike," Buffy mumbled softly, suddenly feeling tears prickling in her eyes.

"You don't even have to answer now… I mean, you've got two years to think about that… Just, so you know that I love you enough to want to marry you…" He took the ring out of the box and slid in onto her finger. "I love you…"

"I love you, too…" She gazed fondly first at the ring and then at Spike, giving him a bright smile, which quickly disappeared, as she suddenly glared at him, though the tiniest hint of a smile was still tugging at her lips. "When I get out and we stopped this apocalypse, we're going to have a long talk about appropriate moments. And then, when I'm finished with you, you're gonna get my answer…" Even though her voice sounded scolding, her eyes and the tug at her lips betrayed what she truly thought of this.

"Is this a threat?" Spike asked, raising his eyebrow.

Instead of answering his question at once, she pulled his head down into a fiery kiss, wanting it to last much longer, but, knowing that she shouldn't waste any more time, she let go of him with a regretful sigh, before taking a few step backwards. "It's a promise." Winking at Spike, Buffy grabbed the bag with the training clothes the Saiyains had provided her with and slung it over her shoulder. She put her hand on the handle and just wanted to open the door, as she turned back one more time, giving her friends a reassuring smile. "See ya later." After having taken a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped into the blinding light, feeling the eyes of her friends in her backs until the door fell shut with a soft click.

"She's really gone in there," Dawn mumbled disbelieving, as she stared at the closed door. "Do you think she'll be able to take this?"

Faith squeezed her shoulder with a smirk on her face, though her eyes betrayed the worry she was feeling for her sister Slayer. "Of course, it's B we're talking about. She can take everything."

"I'm sorry to bother you," Mirai suddenly said. "But we've got to collect seven Dragonballs and have less than twenty-four hours to do this."

"Of course," Faith said. "Then, what are we waiting for! Let's go!"

Spike was once again forced to watch as almost everyone, even his little Nibblet, was preparing to leave the Lookout. Only some of his old and new friends, mostly those that didn't know how to fly, stayed behind. He noticed the powerless look on Xander's face, no matter how hard the young man tried to hide his behind his mask of cheerfulness and optimism, and thought that he could almost relate to him. Being helpless sometimes really sucked. At least Spike had a plan.

His eyes wandered to Bulma, who watched all of this with some kind of cool detachment, but in her eyes she could see the determination. He would need to keep an eye on her, if he didn't want to miss his chance.

* * *

As soon as the door was closed, she recognized the place she was standing in as a large room with two four-poster beds at one side, a table in the middle and a kitchen at the other side. Nothing special but also not too bad. She sighed. So this was the place she was going to spend the next two years at.

After having put her bag down on one of the beds, she left the room, already feeling the stifling heat and the sweat that was running down her body. She had to shield her eyes to protect them from the glaring light, but when she had finally gotten used to it, Buffy could only gasp. The only thing she could see was pure white, wherever she looked.

She took a deep breath and descended the few steps until she was standing on the white ground, stumbling immediately and falling to her knees. A grunt escaped her lips, as she got up again, mumbling something about 'stupid gravity' under her breath. It had taken her by surprise, but she wasn't going to let that happen again.

Her eyes once again wandered around the room, or rather the vastness of white. This truly was incredible. Never had she seen something like this before, and she had seen a lot of things as a Slayer.

But damn! This was going to be harder than she thought.

"Welcome to the Room of Spirit and Time," a warm voice suddenly tore her out of her shock. She whirled around and saw a tall man with unruly black hair standing only a few feet away from her. The man gave her a lopsided grin, as he waved at her and said, "Hi! I'm Goku, your trainer. And you must be Buffy."


	12. Spike's Plan

**Chapter 11: Spike's Plan**

Buffy raised her eyebrow at the cheerful man in front of her. He was tall, much taller than she, especially if you counted his really weird hairstyle, and he was wearing a gi in a bright orange color with a dark blue T-shirt underneath.

So, this man was going to be her trainer. Goku. She had heard his name before, but when and most importantly, where? Her friends must have mentioned it and she couldn't get rid of the feeling that there was something important about him, until it suddenly hit her. "You were the one who gave us those Dragonballs…" she remembered, at the same moment as another memory of something Dawn had told her clicked into place. "But… Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

She was surprised, when the man barked out a somewhat sheepish laugh. His hand wandered to the back of his head. "Yeah… well, actually, I don't believe anybody really knows, if I'm dead or alive. I like to think that I'm somewhere in between, ever since I merged with Shenlong. I'm living with him in a realm that is neither earth nor heaven. But I believe you know what I'm talking about."

The look on Buffy's face darkened, as she suddenly gave this Goku a suspicious glare. How could he know about this? How could he know about her very short stay with the Powers?

"I was there," he suddenly said, as if he were reading her mind. Goku flinched slightly, when the glare became even more distrustful and a betrayed and hurt look flashed over her face. Immediately, he felt bad for even mentioning it, but it had been necessary. If he really wanted to work with her for the coming two years, he had to come clean and gain her trust. "While being in this realm, it is possible to hop dimensions and you were brought to my interest…" he said as means of explanation, before he added, "And, I'm sorry… No one should have to make a choice like this…" Relief flooded through him, when the dark look on her face faded. Her eyes were still showing the loss, this decision had caused, but there was a soft smile on her lips.

"Thank you," she murmured and meant it. His apology sounded so sincere and she believed him. She couldn't sense anything remotely evil from him – the only tingle her Slayer senses gave her was the one she got, whenever she was around Saiyajins. Somehow, now that he was smiling at her, he reminded her a lot of Xander. But despite this gentleness, she could feel the power emanating from him. It was incredible. And it was at this moment that she realized that he might be the only one who could help her to get strong enough to fight Vegeta. But first, there was another thing she had to get out of the way. With a sheepish grin, she crossed the distance between them and extended her hand. "Well, I believe we got off on the wrong foot. Why don't we start again? Hi, I'm Buffy."

Returning her grin, Goku took her hand in a firm grip, silently marveling at the tiny girl's strength, knowing that she wasn't even putting much of her strength into it. "Hi Buffy, I'm Goku and I'm going to be your trainer for the next two years." Releasing her hand, he ran his own through his dark wild locks, thinking about what they should do next. They needed to start training as soon as possible and shouldn't lose any more time than they already had. "How about, we get you acquainted to this room and then test out what you're already capable of? After that, we can decide where to go from there."

With a shrug, Buffy replied, "Sounds good. Let's get all acquainty and then you can show me how to kick some undead Saiyajin's ass."

Goku laughed again, shaking his head, as he led her back into the house. Those two years were going to be brutal and straining, especially for her, but if he somehow managed to unlock her potential, she might just be able to become good and strong enough to be a worthy opponent for Vegeta. He only hoped that this training and the fight wouldn't shatter the last bit of innocence that she still held onto.

* * *

Spike sighed, as he took a drag of his cigarette. He was sitting on the front steps of the palace, watching everything and everyone around him. The sun was slowly rising higher at the horizon and those, who had stayed on the Lookout, were trying to somehow pass the time until nightfall and the return of their friends from their hunt.

Two hours had passed since their departure and Spike knew that for Buffy it was already one month. He missed her already, knowing that it was so much longer for her, and he wondered, how she was faring. The guardian of this planet, Dende, had already told him a bit about this so called Room of Spirit and Time after he had asked him, and what he had heard was rather disquieting. It had already sounded to be a harsh environment, when the Saiyajins had talked about it, but now, after having gotten more information about this room, he suddenly doubted that Buffy would come out of there unchanged.

One month down, twenty-three to go. He and the others however still had only forty-six hours until she would come out again and less than twenty-two hours to collect all seven Dragonballs. It was a race against time, the whole time hoping that Vegeta didn't figure out what they were planning and, most of all, didn't come to the Lookout. But the chances for that were slim, even thoughWillowhad masked all of their energies with a spell and was right now preparing everything for the night along withTara, when they would erect the shield around the Lookout, which would hopefully keep Vegeta at bay.

Looking around the Lookout, he spotted Connor standing at the edge of the Lookout, looking down at the world below, even though Spike was sure that they were too high up in the air to see anything. He exhaled the blue smoke, knowing that Buffy would kill him, if she saw him chain-smoking, and walked to the edge, where he came to a halt next to the teenager. "Anything interestin' to see?" It was meant as a joke, because it simply shouldn't be possible to see anything, but he was taken aback, when he suddenly saw Dawn and Faith, flying over an ocean together with Pan and Mirai Trunks. "Bloody hell!"

"Mr. Popo explained it to me," Connor simply said. "When you're up here and looking down, you just have to concentrate on who or what you would like to see and—"

"And I see them…" Spike said, still a bit stunned, but quickly a smirk appeared on his face. "So that's how the green fella's doin' it. Interesting." Furrowing his brows, he began to think of the vampires and sure enough, Dawn and the others faded from his view and instead he was gazing down on a cave. He deepened his concentration, and suddenly he was in the cave. Sure enough, the Saiyajin was there, sitting on the hard ground and resting his head against the stone wall, his eyes closed and obviously asleep. On the other side of the cave he could see Drusilla, lying on the ground, also sleeping. There was a scowl on her face, even in dream, and he wondered if she was slightly put out by the fact that her so called _Dark Prince_ had abandoned her to return to Capsule Corporation to turn his mate.

The smirk on Spike's face began to widen. Maybe he would be able to use this to his advantage. Deciding that he had seen enough, he only once more willed the focus to change and soon he saw the surroundings of the cave and he knew, where he could find it.

With a flick of his hand, the butt of his cigarette flew over the edge and began its long descend to the ground. Turning to Connor, he said, "If you notice something strange, don't tell anyone, okay?"

Confused, the teenager frowned at him. "What are you talking about?"

"You'll see," Spike only replied mysteriously. It wouldn't do any good, if he told anyone about his plan. He just wanted to go inside the palace and see, if he could maybe find some fake courage for his scheme, when he suddenly hesitated. "Connor... When you get home after this, look after your ol' dad, will ya? Oh, and don't tell him I told you this." Without waiting for an answer, Spike resumed his way inside, the whole time feeling the bewildered look of the teenager in his back.

A few minutes later, Spike, now holding a bottle of beer in his hands, once again sat down on the steps in front of the palace, the perfect spot to keep track of everything and everyone around. He was glad to notice that nothing had changed during his absence – he would have kicked his own ass, if he had missed Bulma and therewith missed his last chance to do something useful in this fight – and watched as everything unfolded itself on the Lookout, the whole time nursing his beer.

Actually he had wanted and needed something stronger than this, but Mr. Popo had proven to be quite uncooperative, saying that they all needed to be of sound mind in the current situation, and given him only this one beer. Well, beggars couldn't be choosers, so this beer had to do. He only needed to keep reminding himself not to drink everything at once.

One hour later, (two more weeks for Buffy) Spike watched as the witches finished the last preparations for the shield spell they were going to use come nightfall. Once everything seemed to be ready, they excused themselves and walked past him into the palace to take a nap before their big show that night. He only hoped that they would be strong enough to keep the shield up until sunrise, otherwise the Scoobies were doomed.

Slowly, one by one, they all went inside, Connor being the last one, and Spike was left alone. They all wanted to rest a bit before the night and the almost inevitable attack of the Saiyajin turned vampire, but, to be honest, even if Spike needn't to stay alert, he would have been much to anxious to get any sleep at all.

His plan was anything but foolproof. There were so many things that could go wrong, so he prayed that Murphy's Law wouldn't pay him any attention.

Lighting a new cigarette, Spike made himself more comfortable on the hard steps and waited.

* * *

Vegeta had a strange feeling, when he woke up from his sleep. He was once again standing in the entrance to the caves in the shades, willing the sun to go down faster, sooner, whatever, though he knew very well that it would still take a few hours until nightfall. He wanted to get out again. His fingers were itching. The demon desired violence, death, blood. And it didn't want to wait much longer. But Vegeta had to be patient and he didn't like it at all.

"My dark Prince is in a bad mood," Drusilla's sing-song voice carried through the cave, as she came up to him, her steps being light, almost dancing. Her hand touched his muscular arm and she walked around him, her fingers trailing over his hard chest and rested above his still heart. There was an amused glint in her eyes, as she purred, "Little Miss Edith wants to know why…"

His eyes lowered to glance at her briefly, but he didn't react at all to her touch, before turning his attention once again to the sun filled world outside this cave, his prison. The satisfied smirk tugging at his lips that had appeared upon seeing the barely visible disconcerted frown on her face, quickly vanished, when he simply said, "Something has changed. They're not at Capsule Corporation anymore, but I can't find them. Something or someone is blocking their kis."

"The witches are doing naughty things… They're trying to hide the others, while they're searching for the dragon…"

Vegeta's eyes widened ever so lightly, when he understood. "The Dragonballs…" he mumbled, cursing himself for his own stupidity. He should have known that they would look for them – it was their only possibility to defeat him, or rather to reduce him to what he had been, after all. He couldn't let this happen. Not now, when he had so big plans.

Balling his fists, he angrily strode back into the cave, brushing past a rather put out looking Drusilla. Once he reached the end of the hallway and stepped into the large candle-lit cavern, a deep growl emitted from his throat, which scared away all the fledglings that were staying there. Only a few seconds later, Vegeta was alone, finally, and he released an unneeded breath. Those vampires – their _guard _as Drusilla liked to call them – were useless. As soon as his family was complete, he was going to dispose of those annoying weaklings. A new era for the vampires was just about to begin.

"Leave," he ordered, when he heard the soft footsteps entering behind him only a moment later. However, when he didn't hear Drusilla move, he turned around as quick as lightning and pinned her against the rough stonewall of the cave, snarling. A satisfied smirk graced his face, when he saw the pained expression on her face, relishing in the fact that he had managed to hurt her. With a deathly calm in his voice, he said, "I told you to leave… If you dare to disobey my orders one more time, I'm going to stake you. I've got no more use for you, so choose your words and your actions carefully. You don't want to make me angry. Believe me. I've killed other beings for less…"

With this threat hanging in the room, he let go of her arms and turned around, waiting for Drusilla to leave. He heard the rustle of her dress and the retreating steps, but before she disappeared completely, she spoke calmly, suddenly sounding saner than ever, "The Slayer has gone into the Room… I wouldn't underestimate her, when she comes out again…"

Vegeta's expression was a thoughtful one after Drusilla had finally left, but eventually it gave way for a pleased smirk and in the end for triumphant laughter.

Let the Slayer come for him, when she was ready, but until then he would use his time to kill each and every one of her little friends, because thanks to Drusilla's vision, he now knew where they were hiding.

* * *

Spike was slowly getting worried. The sun had already covered a large distance at the horizon and soon, in only one or two hours, it would start to set. Still, there was no sight of Bulma. He had expected her to come out by now, seeing as the others would most likely start to crowd the Lookout to wait for the Dragonball hunters to return from their search.

But maybe he had been wrong about her. Maybe she would resist temptation, but then he also would have to give up his plan. He wouldn't like it. He always hated to sit tight and not being able to do anything. The worst feeling Spike knew was this feeling of helplessness.

Suddenly, his head jerked around, when he heard footsteps behind him. It was Bulma, and Spike felt the relief flooding his tense body. "You're late," he simply said, extinguishing his last cigarette on the ground and throwing it into the ashtray Mr. Popo had given him sometime this morning. The empty bottle of beer was standing next to it. Spike knew that he had startled her, when he saw her jump slightly. But she didn't say anything. Taking his duster, which he had taken off atnoon, when the heat had become too unbearable on the Lookout to keep it on, he got up and donned it again. "Well then, let's go…"

"W-what do you mean?" Bulma asked, sounding confused.

Spike smirked at her, shaking his head slightly. "You and I, pet, we know exactly what I mean. I know what you're goin to do, and to be honest, I don't blame you. Actually, I want to tag along."

"Why?"

Noticing that the woman in front of him was getting even more confused, he only shook his head. "Let's just say that I have my reasons. Besides," he added with a wink. "I know where he's hiding. I could lead you to him." She looked at him sharply, this offer having obviously taken her by surprise, but now that he had sparked her interest, Spike said, "What are you waiting for? Take your copter out and let's go before the others notice what's going on."

Bulma eyed him, now with obvious concern in her eyes. It was remarkable that she was still able to worry about him with the knowledge of what she was planning to do. "Are you sure that you want to come along? He will kill you."

"Dead sure," he simply said to her, but then added, under his breath, so that Bulma wouldn't hear it, while she was taking the copter out of its capsule, "I'm counting on it."

The flight was spent in silence. The only time they had actually spoken with each other had been directly after they had taken off, and this just because Spike had told her, where they had to go to. He had noticed her surprise, when he had revealed that their hiding place was in the woods bordering on the Western Capital, not that far from Capsule Corporation to be precise, but she had only nodded and veered the copter towards her hometown.

Spike was slowly beginning to feel nervous, well, more nervous than he had before, and doubt began to nag at him. Even though his plan was now set into motion, there was still so much that could go wrong. So much that could turn against him. And then the doubt if he would really be able to pull it off. But there was no going back now.

A quick glance out of the window told him that the sun was about to set. The others would be back at the Lookout soon. And they would reach their destination any moment. He could already see the outline of the Western Capital in the close distance and knew that this was it. In only a few minutes he would know, if his plan was going to be successful.

They landed in a clearing in the woods and Spike guessed that they were very close to the cave. If he remembered correctly, actually only fifty yards or so in a southward direction. After the copter had been once again stored in its capsule with a quiet –_poof-_ he gave Bulma a worried glance. "Are you alright?" he asked.

She offered him a weak smile, but her gaze was determined, as she replied, "I'm about to let my mate turn me into a vampire… How do you think I feel?"

Putting his hand on her shoulder, he squeezed it reassuringly. "Whatever happens in the end, we both know that you're doing the right thing…"

"And what would this be?" she asked.

"You're following your heart, so you have nothing to regret." Spike honestly didn't know, if he only said this to calm her or if he also said this to convince himself of this.

"You're right," Bulma only said, now holding her head higher, once again filled with confidence, and took a step into the direction of the cave. Turning around one last time, she asked, "You're coming?"

"You won't get rid of me that easily, pet." Spike smirked, when he saw the strength in her eyes. Despite her age, there was still the fire of a young woman in her eyes and he admired her. He only hoped that she wouldn't lose that fire and retained her personality, once she was a vampire.

A few minutes later, they were finally standing in front of the entrance to the cave that Spike had seen from the Lookout. The sun had already sunk so low that the whole cave and the close area around it was covered in shades. Therefore it didn't surprise Spike, when he heard the rustle to their right and saw a vampire, most likely a fledgling, already in game face, walking up to them.

The vampire eyed them hungrily, causing Spike to push Bulma behind him, ready to protect her. It wouldn't do them any good, if they were killed now. But Spike should have known better, when Bulma suddenly brushed past him and stopped only merely feet in front of the demon, with her arms crossed over her chest. "I demand to see my mate."

Spike was impressed. She voiced this demand with such an authority in her voice that the physically stronger vampire in front of her was actually stunned. Obviously the few humans he had met until now had been cowering in fear upon seeing his true face. Not only was this woman standing up to him, but she was also ordering him around. "You heard her," Spike said smugly. "She wants to see her mate. Why don't you get him for her?"

The vampire apparently didn't know what he should do, as he was looking back and forth between the two of them. "Your mate?" he asked stupidly.

"Yes, my mate," Bulma replied, now beginning to tap annoyingly with her right foot. "You know, only a bit taller than me, black hair, black eyes, large forehead and not to forget, extremely strong and usually in a bad mood?"

A look of recognition passed over the demon's face, but still, he didn't move. Yes, Spike decided, definitely a fledgling. He just wanted to snap at him to hurry up, when a deep voice joined them.

"What is going on here?"

Spike saw Bulma's body tense, as she turned around to the entrance of the cave and, after having noticed her incredibly pale face, he followed her example. And there he was, regarding them coolly, though Spike had noticed a surprised look flash over his face, when he had recognized Bulma. And right behind him, Drusilla stepped out of the darkness.

"Vegeta…" Bulma's voice was barely louder than a whisper and it was shaking. She took a hesitant step towards him and before Spike could even react, Vegeta had crossed the distance between him and his mate and stopped directly in front of her, with only a handful of inches separating them.

"Woman…" Vegeta only growled, before she pulled him into a kiss, which he quickly deepened.

Spike looked away from them, not wanting to disturb the reunion of the two mates, and immediately noticed the look of raging jealousy on Drusilla's face. A smirk appeared on his, thinking that this might work for his advantage. A sudden gasp coming from Bulma forced him to look back to her and he didn't know if he should be happy or not, when he saw that Vegeta had sunk his fangs into her throat.

"My William…" Drusilla, who was all of sudden standing next to him, purred.

Nodding at her, Spike only replied, "Dru…"

He closed his eyes, when he felt her cool fingers stroking over his face, trying to fight the urge to push her away. A hiss escaped his lips, when her nail cut a straight line down his cheek. "My sweet William… You taste still the same…"

Opening his eyes again, he watched, as she was sucking the blood, his blood, from her finger and he was sure that, if he had still been a vampire, his game face would have emerged at this sight. Despite the fact the he was in love with Buffy, he could never forget the century that he had spent with Drusilla. She had, after all, freed him from a life, which had been pitiful at its best.

Spike didn't do anything to stop her, when Drusilla reacted on her jealousy and kissed him. Instead he encouraged her, parting his lips to allow her tongue to gain entrance to his mouth. Still, he only thought of Buffy and how he would hopefully be able to help her with this sacrifice.

Then, with reflexes faster than he had expected, she had broken the kiss and sunk her teeth into his neck. Spike exhaled sharply and dug his fingers into her arms, as he held onto her tightly. Just as he remembered, it hurt in the beginning, but then the pain turned into an exhilarating feeling. The world around him began to blur.

Spike barely noticed out of the corner of his eyes that Vegeta was feeding Bulma some of his own blood, and he was happy for her. At least she would be with her mate again.

Just as he was about to lose consciousness, Spike felt as Drusilla pulled out her fangs and then, only a second later, he tasted the familiar flavor of blood in his mouth.

He smirked, as everything went dark around him. The first stage of his plan was a success.


	13. Bring on the Night

**Chapter 12: Bring on the Night**

Buffy stumbled and almost hit the ground, after Goku's fist had connected with her face. Breathing hard, she tried to regain her balance. But she wasn't out of breath because of the training, no, something had flashed through her, through her body, causing her to become slightly distracted for a split second and leaving her breathless. Shaking her head, she turned back to her opponent, who looked at her quizzically.

"Something wrong?" he asked, sounding worried, as he dropped out of his fighting stance and walked up to her.

The Slayer closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The feeling was gone, but still, something wasn't completely right. "I don't know," she answered quietly, still a bit shaken. This feeling had been intense and not without consequences. Her instincts told her that something was different, that something had changed, but she couldn't put her finger on it. There had been a strange tightness in her chest that hadn't been there before. But it had passed almost as quickly as it had come, leaving only the echo of this constriction.

Startled, Buffy opened her eyes, as Goku put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it slightly. She looked up, almost straining her neck, and blinked against the glaring whiteness that surrounded her trainer. She still thought it was unfair that he was so incredibly tall, when she had always been on the smaller side – she didn't even reach his shoulders. "Let's call it quits for today, okay? You are exhausted." He turned to go back into the house and Buffy followed him.

Exhausted was the understatement of the century. Never before had Buffy trained that hard. They had already been in this room for six months and next to getting some sleep and eating breakfast, lunch and dinner, they had almost trained non-stop. But despite the exhaustion, she was already feeling the results of their training. After just six months Buffy was feeling stronger than ever before, ready to take on Glory without the troll hammer and Dagon's sphere and to win.

But it still wasn't enough. She was still no match against Goku, even when he wasn't a Super Saiyajin. There was still a long way to go until she stood even the slightest chance against Vegeta and they had only one and a half year left. The others, Spike, Dawn, Faith, the Scoobies, they all had to manage, to survive, without her for another one and a half days. She only hoped that they would find the Dragonballs in time so that she wouldn't have to fight, because, honestly, Buffy didn't think she would be able to defeat the Saiyajin turned vampire, even after the two years of her special training were over.

"Are you hungry?" Goku's muffled voice sounded from the inside of the fridge. He emerged a few seconds later, his arms loaded with food, and dropped all of it rather unceremoniously on the kitchen counter. A frown appeared on his lips, when he saw Buffy standing next to him, still looking thoughtful and tired. "Maybe you should take a nap," he suggested. "I'll call you when dinner is ready, alright?"

"Yeah, alright," Buffy answered faintly. She walked over to her four-poster bed, slipped off her shoes and crawled behind the curtains, curling into a ball on top of the covers. A tear trickled down her cheek and Buffy didn't bother to wipe it away. All of sudden, especially after this strange occurrence only a few minutes ago, all of this became too much to bear. How could she protect them, if she wasn't strong enough? How could she call herself a Slayer, if she couldn't even kill one lousy vampire? She shouldn't be here in this room – one of the other Saiyajins should be here instead. They had much bigger chances to defeat Vegeta than she would ever have.

But she had no other choice. She had to go on. Her friends counted on her. She couldn't disappoint them. Her hand slipped under the pillow and pulled the silver ring out, the blue stone sparkling in the faint light that shone through a gap in the curtains. Buffy eyed the ring for a moment and eventually slid it onto her left ring finger. She had to do this for Spike, for their future together. She had already known the answer to his proposal the moment she had seen the ring and when this nightmare was over, she was going to tell him.

Now that she was lying on her bed in semidarkness, the exhaustion slowly took over and Buffy soon fell asleep, still clad in her training clothes. Goku didn't wake her, when dinner was ready.

_The mattress underneath her was soft, softer than the one she had slept on for the last few months, just like home. Drowsily she tried to open her eyes, blinking a few times to adjust to the sunlight that was playing on her face, but quickly gave up and buried her face in the pillow with a groan. She was still so tired, but further sleep was denied to her, as a cold breath tickled her neck._

_"Wake up, luv," a voice whispered, gently pulling her around. _

_She didn't resist, as she was rolled over to lie on her other side, and sleepily snuggled against a hard chest. "Wanna sleep," she mumbled._

_"Not possible, pet…" the voice said. "It's time to get up. Time to face your demons…"_

_She finally opened her eyes, but as her gaze rested on yellow eyes and a distorted face, she screamed._

"Buffy? Buffy, wake up!" Goku yelled, shaking her. He almost dropped off the edge of the bed, when the girl sat up startled, with wide eyes and labored breaths. Her gaze wandered around frantically, until it landed on him. She appeared to calm down then, but Goku was still worried. This must have been one hell of a nightmare to get a reaction like this out of her. He had woken to her terrified scream and found her drenched in sweat. "Are you okay?" He reached out to try to feel her forehead to find out, if she was maybe running a fever - he still remembered, when he had been in this room with Gohan and his son had shown similar signs when he had been ill that one time – but Buffy slapped his hand away.

Her eyes widened, when she noticed just what she had done and she had the decency to look slightly abashed. "I'm sorry, Goku… I'm… I'm okay… It was just a nightmare…" She pulled the covers back and saw that she was still dressed in her training clothes from the previous day. A confused frown appeared on her face, until she suddenly remembered that she had fallen asleep like this. "You didn't wake me last night…"

Goku shrugged apologetically. "I didn't… You looked like you needed the rest."

A sheepish grin appeared on her face, as she ran with her hand through her mussed up hair. "I guess I did… Is it already time to get up?"

Goku looked over his shoulder at a clock that was standing on the kitchen counter, before he got up from her bed. "Almost… But seeing as we both probably won't be able to fall asleep again, I'd say we get up, have a big breakfast and then continue our training. Why don't you freshen up, while I prepare breakfast?"

Buffy sniffed at her clothes and grimaced. "That's a good idea." Ignoring the hearty laugh that escaped Goku's lips at her antics, she got out of the bed and looked through her bag for a change of fresh clothes. Since she hadn't had many clothes to begin with in this dimension this was proving to be a hard feat. "I guess I'll have to do some laundry later," she mumbled, as she pulled out the last set of clean clothes and disappeared in the adjoining bathroom.

Breakfast was a quiet affair, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Ever since Buffy had stepped into this room, she and Goku had gotten to know each other quite well. Goku knew when Buffy needed some quiet time, and the other way around, though Buffy noticed that her trainer almost never needed this. His almost constant optimism and cheerfulness was contagious, so that Buffy found herself more often drawn out of her shell, when she was at her low point.

But today he seemed to notice that not even he would be able to pull her out of this. Buffy still wasn't sure if the nightmare was just that, a nightmare, or if it had been a Slayer dream, some kind of vision, especially with the strange feeling that had overwhelmed her the day before. It worried her deeply. Her dream had been so vivid. It had felt so real, as if she had really been at another place, sharing a bed with Spike and then waking up to see him like this… A small shudder went through her. She didn't even want to imagine this being real. Not now. Not when, the occasional apocalypse aside, her life finally seemed to work out.

Buffy hadn't eaten much, but fortunately Goku hadn't commented on that. Usually, when he thought that she hadn't eaten enough in his opinion, he told her to eat more to keep her strength up. However, somehow he also appeared to be a bit preoccupied with his thoughts this morning.

Her suspicions were confirmed, when, once they were standing in front of the house after breakfast and she got into the usual defensive stance, waiting for Goku to attack, he said, "Change of plans. Today, you're going to show me what you can _really_ do."

"W-what I really can do?" Buffy asked startled, instinctively taking a step back. "B-but that's what I've been doing ever since we started training."

Shaking his head softly, Goku replied, "No, you didn't and you know this. You are holding back, Buffy."

"You're wrong," she insisted, her voice low and firm. Her eyes sparkled defiantly and she had her arms crossed over her chest, as she stared up at him. "I am _not_ holding back."

"Buffy," the Saiyajin said gently, taking a step forward. However, this only caused her to take another step away from him. A weary sigh escaped his lips, something so unlike of the Goku she had gotten to know. "Listen, Buffy… I _know_ you can do more than this. I _know_ the Council taught you a lot of things during the six months you were there, things that you haven't used since then. I thought that maybe this… situation… with Vegeta would convince you that you needed what you have learned there and use it."

"The Council used me," she argued. "They wanted me to use this power to kill my friends. The moment I remembered who I really was, I swore to myself that I would never use this power again."

"You are scared. I can understand that." Goku regarded her calmly. He had really hoped that she would use her powers now that they were desperately needed, but he had never expected the depths of her fear of those powers. She associated them with the old Council, the old Council that had lied to her and used her. "But you don't need to be. Those powers… what they taught you, it isn't evil. You know how to control your ki, you know how to use it in a fight and you know how to fly. Those are all things that I and my friends can do as well."

"No!" Anger flashed in her eyes and Goku noticed the steady rise of her ki with a bit of satisfaction. Still, he hated to use this method. "This. Is. Not. The. Same," she forced out through clenched teeth. "You chose to learn this willingly, I didn't. I was manipulated. I never needed those fancy powers! The Master, Angelus, the Mayor, Adam, Glory… I beat them all without being able to fly or to shoot those blasts out of my hands! I. Never. Needed. Them!"

"But now you do," Goku simply countered calmly.

"Shut up!" Tears began streaming down her face, and suddenly a red ki ball materialized in the palm of her right hand, which she hurled at him.

Goku easily blocked the attack and deflected it into the white nothingness behind him. "You know you do, Buffy…"

Another ki-ball was thrown at him and again, he blocked it without any problems. "I said, shut up!" Buffy yelled, but this time only half-heartedly, as she broke down, sinking to the ground with her face covered in her hands. _Time to face your demons… _Spike had said this to her in her dream. Had her dream really been a vision, had it meant to tell her that it was time to face her past and accept everything the Council had taught her? Somehow, in some twisted way, it made sense. Trust the Powers That Be to mess with her again.

A mix between a sob and a laugh escaped her lips and when she suddenly felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, she looked up and met Goku's concerned black eyes. "You remember the prophecy about your rebirth, don't you?" At her weak nod, he continued, "If I remember correctly, it said something about you coming back stronger, stronger than ever before. You had this, all of this strength, already inside of you, when you came back. The Council has only taught you how to use it. If they hadn't, this would have been the first thing I'd have done after you stepped into the room."

"Bloody prophecy," she muttered, as she wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. She had stopped crying and her own use of the Spikeism caused a small grin to appear on her face. Spike had been right in her dream - it had been time to face her demons, to face her past. All the last year, she had tried to suppress this power, even when it had been ready at her fingertips during a fight. And now she had already used it, twice, while saying the whole time that she wouldn't. Goku was right, it was a part of her. It was in her the all the time, had been, ever since she was reborn. There was no denying it. To have even the slightest chance in the coming battle, she needed to use it. Time was running short and her friends needed her at her best. To win against this vampire, a normal Slayer wasn't enough. To win against this vampire, they needed a Super Slayer and this was, what she planned to become under Goku's tutelage, even if it meant breaking the oath she had made.

"Are you better?" Goku asked. Most of the concern had disappeared from his voice, but it was still filled with some incredible gentleness and sincerity. Buffy looked up at him again, her eyes still a bit red and glassy, but there was a determination in them that he hadn't seen before, when she eventually nodded. "Alright then, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, are you ready to show me what you really can do?"

He extended his hand and Buffy took it, as she let herself be pulled to her feet and said with a strong voice, "I am."

* * *

Dawn was flying as fast as possible, trying to keep up with Mirai, Pan and, much to her surprise, Faith. The two Saiyajins and the Slayer were flying a bit ahead of her, but they kept looking back to make sure that she was still there. She was tired – never in her life, or rather, never since she had learned to fly, had she flown like this, this fast, this far and this long – and wondered how Faith could still keep up with them. She'd love to go to sleep immediately, but she knew that she probably wouldn't get any rest that night, not if Vegeta came to the Lookout.

_Speaking of the Lookout_, Dawn thought with a weary grin. It had just appeared in front of them, a tiny dot at the horizon, which began to grow as they came nearer. The sun behind them was already standing extremely low. It was only a matter of time until it disappeared. Suddenly, she felt three familiar kis coming from the left and turning her head, Dawn saw Goten, Gohan and Trunks close in on them. Upon reaching them, Gohan immediately flew up next to Pan, but Goten and Trunks stayed with her, both of them flashing her a mischievous grin, before they grabbed her under her arms and sped up. Dawn shot them an angry glare, but was secretly relieved that they helped her, as she wouldn't have been able to fly at this speed much longer.

They touched down on the Lookout only a few minutes later. Everyone else seemed to be gathered there already, watching Willow and Tara, as they prepared the spell for the shield that should protect them from Vegeta. Both of them were sitting opposite of each other inside of a ring of candles, which Xander and Anya were lighting at the moment.

However, all attention immediately turned towards them, when Xander spotted them and exclaimed relieved, "You're back!"

"Did you find the Dragonballs?" Videl asked her husband. By now, everyone who was on the Lookout had gathered around the small group.

Gohan nodded with a smile on his face and pulled two orange spheres, one with three stars and the other with seven stars, out of a bag he had carried over his shoulder. "We've found two."

With a sigh, Pan pulled one Dragonball out of her bag, the one with six stars. "That's the only one we found."

"Well, three are better than none," Xander said with an encouraging grin on his face. "You still have one more night until Buffy comes out of the room. Besides, you'll still have some time, while Buffy's kicking his ass."

When he mentioned her sister, Dawn cast a longing look towards the palace, where the door to the Room of the Spirit and Time was found in. She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder and turned around to see Pan standing behind her. "She will be okay," the other girl told her.

"I know," Dawn answered with a worried smile. "But she's already been in there for about a half year. Who knows, what's happening to her. We don't know, how much she's changing in here, if we even know her anymore, when she's coming out. What if she is a completely different person? A stranger? What will we do? What will Spike do?"

"Let's cross that bridge, when you get to it. Trunks, I mean Mirai, was also in there once, but he says that he hasn't changed much," Pan said and all of sudden started to look around.

"What's wrong?" Dawn asked alarmed.

Instead of answering her, Pan grabbed Xander at his arm and demanded to know, "Where's Spike?"

"Spike?" A confused frown appeared on Xander's forehead, as he also looked around in search for their friend. "Isn't he… I mean… He was just… Where's Spike?"

"He's not here," Dawn realized a moment later, after a quick headcount, and looked at the others with wide eyes. "And Bulma's also missing…"

"You're right," Dende suddenly spoke up. When all gazes were directed at him, he lowered his head a bit. He knew they wouldn't like his answer, but there was nothing he could have done about it. It had been their decision and he doubted that he would have been able to convince them not to go. "Bulma and Spike went down to earth, both with different agendas. While Bulma only wanted to be reunited with her mate, Spike devised a plan to help us, though he wasn't sure if it would work."

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked confused, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"I believe he means that Bulma went to Vegeta so that he can turn her into a vampire," Anya answered, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "And Spike went with her, though that's kind of stupid of him. I mean, why would he want to get turned into a vampire again, now that he's finally human and with Buffy? That's crazy…"

No one said anything at first, because all of them knew that Anya once again told the blunt truth. Dawn noticed Faith's hand on her shoulder and bit her lower lip to choke back a sob. The Slayer smirked at her, before she addressed her and everyone else, "Yo, listen up! Anya's right. It's absolutely crazy. But we may not forget that it's Spike we're talking about, the Slayer of two Slayers. His ideas and plans are often insane, but they work most of the time. Why not this time? We should trust him on this. We can't change it anyway… Now we should just concentrate on what the night will bring."

"Faith is right," Willow suddenly said and, ignoring Faith's 'Thanks Red', she simply continued, "The sun's down and I can already feel an evil aura coming towards us at an alarming speed."

"Then what are you waiting for, Will?" Xander asked. "Do your mojo."

Nodding eagerly, Anya added, "Yes, Willow, do your spell. I'm not as crazy as Spike. I'm still too pretty to die."

Willow rolled her eyes, while the others chuckled, Tara included, but couldn't keep the small grin from her face. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she eventually grabbed Tara's hands, who did the same and after a second both began to chant in Latin. The others watched nervously, as the magick around them hummed and after about a minute and thin shield appeared around the Lookout. More minutes passed and the shield strengthened, taking on a solid light blue color. Willow and Tara stopped chanting, but didn't let go of the other's hands.

And now they waited in taut silence. Everybody who was on the Lookout was completely tense, all asking themselves the same question. Would the shield hold? The Scoobies knew that Willow and Tara were both powerful witches, but were they strong enough to fight off a vampire with the strength and powers of a Super Saiyajin?

However, they didn't need to wait long, as not even two minutes later a bright golden flash stopped in front of the Lookout, outside the shield. Bra took a hesitant step forward. "Dad? Is that you?"

Feeling the distress in her best friend's ki, Pan gently grabbed her hand and pulled her back. "Be careful… There might still be some part of the old Vegeta in him, but we can't say for sure. Spike…" she swallowed hard, as she remembered that he might already be dead, or rather undead by now, "he almost didn't change at all after he became human and got his soul, but I heard that Angel and Angelus were to completely different persons."

"I'm still me, Princess," Vegeta's voice tore them out of their moment. All heads turned towards him. He was simply floating there, only inches away from the shield, looking just like ever in his black clothes, the golden hair and with his arms crossed over his chest. If Pan didn't know better, she'd say that it was really the old Vegeta.

"Dad?" Trunks now asked, walking up to his sister.

"No," Mirai hissed at his counterpart. "Stay back. He has still lost his soul. Even if the Saiyajin were stronger than the demon in him, he would still be the ruthless killer he had been before he has come to earth."

"Your mother is with me," Vegeta mentioned nonchalantly and therewith confirmed what at least the Z-Warriors still hadn't wanted to believe completely. "In a few hours she will awake as a new person. Age will no longer be a problem. She will be strong and she will be with me again, just as she wished. As to your friend – Drusilla was more than happy that he would be hers again. And I can understand why he chose to give up his mortal life a second time, because although this body is dead, I've never felt more alive! Bra, Trunks, join me and we will be a family again. If you and every other Saiyajin choose this side, we will rule the universe."

"Shut up!" Pan yelled and shot a ki-blast at him, which disintegrated at the shield. "Stop wearing his face! Show, what you really are, demon!"

"Fine," Vegeta snarled and morphed into his vamp face. Bra screamed and buried her face in Trunks' chest. A smirk appeared on his deformed face, as he said, "If you don't want to join me voluntarily, I'll just have to make you."

Only with the exception of Willow and Tara who had to keep the shield up, everyone on the Lookout, fighter or not, got into a fighting stance, though hoping with all their heart that the shield would protect them, ready to fight and defend themselves if necessary. The first attack came at once. Just as Pan had already done from the inside, Vegeta shot a ki-blast, only a much more powerful one, at the shield from the outside.

Many relieved sighs could be heard, when it held. But they all were sure of one thing – it was going to be a long night.


	14. Showtime

**Chapter 13: Showtime**

Vegeta scowled, as the shield simply shimmered after his first attack before returning to its solid, though transparent, blue color. His memories had told him that the two witches were strong, but he had never expected that their powers could withstand the power of a true Saiyajin. Snarling, he put a bit of distance between himself and the Lookout and drew his arms back. Now he would show them just how powerful a Super Saiyajin really was.

An unearthly scream escaped his throat, as he began to gather all of his ki.

"What's he doing?" Xander yelled, when he heard the scream and saw the golden aura that was growing around the vampire. The Lookout started to tremble slightly under their feet, as the wind outside the shield seemed to pick up. The few clouds that had been in the sky began to move around, faster and faster. This whole scenario reminded Xander somehow of Glory's portal.

Connor, who had stepped up to him to take a closer look at the happenings, frowned. He, too, had memories of similar sights, and they never boded well. "Whatever it is, it isn't good."

"It isn't!" Mirai suddenly cried out. The two young men jerked around to him. Mirai's eyes were wide, his face pale. "It's his Final Flash!"

"What's a Final Flash?" Xander asked, looking around at the group. The Saiyajins looked worried, and when the Saiyajins were worried, he was sure that he had the right to be worried, too. He felt a small hand in his and tried to smile down at Anya, but she simply looked at them all matter-of-factly.

Much to everybody's surprise, it was she, who answered Xander's question. "A Final Flash is a powerful ki-attack. Mirai told me, when he was in our dimension. He also said that the first time, when Vegeta had used it, he almost destroyed the earth."

"Damn!" Faith muttered, partly in awe of this raw power. If the shield didn't stop this attack, if it didn't hold, they'd be dust. That much was certain. No matter how frightening this prospect was, she had to admit that she was impressed. And also envious. No Slayer could ever compare to this kind of power.

"Willow!Tara!" Dawn cried urgently, immediately understanding the implication of what Anya had just told them. "Did you hear this?" There was slight edge of panic in her voice, as she looked up and had to shield her eyes from the glaring light of the ki that surrounded the Saiyajin. Goosebumps rose on her skin, as she felt the ki rise to heights she had never felt before.

The witches had concentrated looks on their faces and instead of answering, Willow had simply closed her eyes and begun to mumble more words that none of them understood under her breath and the color of the shield darkened slightly. Dawn took this as a good sign and turned towards the others, her own ki rising as high as possible. If the shield didn't hold, she at least wanted to go down fighting.

"Alright everyone! This will be the ultimate test! If the shield is still up after this attack, it will most likely hold the whole night. But if it doesn't, we'll have to be ready to fight!"

"If there's still much of us left," Faith threw in smirking. "But, hey… I don't wanna ruin the mood."

"It will hold," Xander mumbled, but he didn't know if he tried to convince himself or the others. "It will hold."

The tension on the Lookout was raw, as the seconds ticked by and the power of the Saiyajin turned vampire grew with each of those passing seconds. And then, it suddenly stopped rising. All eyes were turned towards Vegeta, whose hands were glowing brightly. Faith held her breath, crossing her fingers, as the Saiyajin brought those hands together in front of him and then with a loud yell released the power. A bright blue beam of pure energy shot towards the shield and a deafening _boom_ resounded, when it collided. The Lookout trembled violently, but none of them lost their footing, as they waited for whatever would happen.

Either the shield would hold, or they would all be pulverized.

Faith really hoped that it wouldn't be the latter.

Chancing a glance over her shoulder, she saw that, while both witches were looking strained, they were still in deep concentration and didn't seem to be ready to collapse. That was good.

Finally, after too many too long seconds, Vegeta ceased his attack and everyone on the Lookout heaved sighs of relief. The shield had held and they were still alive – the Saiyajin, however, looked pretty pissed off. Faith smirked smugly and resisted the urge give him the finger, when she saw the deep scowl on his face.

Scoobies vs. Vampjin – 1:0.

"Red, Glinda?" Faith called. "Are you alright?"

"Peachy…"Willowbreathed.

She looked a bit exhausted, but confident and still radiating with power. Faith's smirk widened. If the resolve face stayed until the very end, they might just make , was another matter. The Slayer saw the sheen of sweat on the blonde's face and the labored breathing. The smirk was replaced by a , while being pretty powerful on her own, had never even come close to the powerWillowmight wield, if she let go. And this constant strain put upon her was visible.

Shaking her head, Faith turned her attention back to the problem at strong, she could do it. And it seemed that they might even be able to relax a little, as Vegeta had retreated a bit, apparently thinking about his next move. She sincerely hoped that there wasn't anything more powerful than this Final Flash.

"Okay!" Faith suddenly called, getting everyone's attention. "It's time to get some shut-eye. Red and Glinda can keep this up. But I always want two persons awake to keep watch and alert us if something is going wrong. The sun rises again in seven hours, so that makes three times two hours and twenty minutes. Mirai, you and I take the first watch. Xand, Anya, I want to you take the second, because you can sleep during the day. And…"

"I will take the third," Connor suddenly spoke up. "I want to help."

"Good, you take the third watch with—"

"Me." This time it was Bra, who had spoken. Her face looked haunted, but determined. "I will take the third watch with Connor."

"Sounds good, girl. Now, everyone else try to get some rest. Who knows what will happen during the night."

* * *

It was already pastmidnight. Not much had happened since sundown – Vegeta simply continued to float in front of the Lookout outside of the shield, a golden glow in the darkness, obviously waiting for it to go down on its own. Well, he can wait long for that, Faith thought, as she took a long drag from her, unfortunately last, cigarette.

"Faith," Mirai scolded, as he sat down on the steps next to her, after he had finished the tour around the Lookout to make sure that everything was okay. "You do know that those things will kill you someday."

Faith just smirked at him and exhaled, blowing the smoke directly at his face. He grimaced. "Only if a vampire doesn't get me first."

Rolling his eyes, Mirai turned his attention back to the glowing figure, but after a moment a frown appeared on his face. Faith watched the unchanging thoughtful expression on his face for a moment, before she took the last drag of the cigarette and threw it to the floor, squishing it with the heel of her boot. Then, she leaned back and gazed straight up at the stars, not thinking of anything, so she was startled, when Mirai suddenly spoke, his voice deep and introspective.

"Do you ever miss it?"

"Miss what?" Faith lazily turned her head to her side, not admitting to how much he startled her, only to find Mirai still staring at Vegeta.

Mirai sighed deeply and his hands were shaking slightly, as if he were struggling with something.

Alarmed, Faith sat up and looked at him fully. "Mirai, what is it? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Being evil…" he mumbled, barely loud enough to hear, but Faith's Slayer hearing caught both words.

Her whole body tensed, as memories she had tried so hard to forget suddenly pushed themselves to the front of her mind. The power of those memories and those feelings was incredible and it left her breathless for a moment. Her right fist balled, almost as if curling around the hilt of a knife, ready to plunge it into the stomach of an unsuspecting human. Gritting her teeth, Faith tried to banish the memories of the superiority, the power she had felt back then, when… A shudder ran through her and Faith realized that she truly felt horrified by the actions of her past. "No," she hissed with conviction. "I don't miss it."

Her eyes met his and she was stunned by the pain she saw in them. "But… wasn't it… easier?"

"Easier?" Faith reflected, still not exactly knowing what had brought this on and where he wanted to go with this. "Yes, it was… But… it was _wrong_." Mirai nodded absently, but Faith wasn't finished with him. "And just why the hell are you asking those questions? This isn't like…" Suddenly, a thought shot through her mind and her eyes widened. "Oh no," she snarled and grabbed his collar, "don't you dare! That's the coward's way out and I'd really hate to stake you."

"But dad likes it," Mirai shook his head and Faith could see that he was completely confused, not knowing what to believe anymore. She had never imagined that this situation could take a psychological toll on him like this. The Mirai she had gotten to know had always been strong and had always known what he wanted – to do the right thing. Never had he even considered to change sides. "And mom, she became one, too… and Spike also went back to Drusilla… So, how can it be so wrong?"

Faith growled and got up, pulling Mirai to his feet. The Saiyajin didn't resist, even though he could have easily overpowered her. His ki was at its lowest, as he wanted to save as much energy as possible for either a possible fight or the search for the Dragonballs that would continue as soon as the sun was up. And Faith used this chance. Pulling her fist back, she punched him squarely in the jaw, causing Mirai to stumble a few steps backwards. Wiping some blood from his split lip, he first looked at the blood on his hand and then at Faith, still confused.

She was breathing hard, too angry to keep her voice down. "Vegeta's a fucking vampire, a demon without a soul, so of course he likes it! Your mother only went to him because she couldn't live without her mate and Spike's got some fucking plan he didn't bother to tell anyone about! But if you now go off, too, believe me, it will be my stake going through your heart. But before you go kill yourself, let me ask you one question: What about Pan? What about _your_ mate? Would you just leave her, because it's apparently _easier?_"

Looking over his shoulder, Faith saw Xander and Anya stand in the doorway, ready for the second watch. "Our watch is over, Mirai. Let's get some sleep. And think about what I just said." Faith couldn't describe how relieved she was, when her friend simply nodded and walked with her inside. However, before Faith disappeared fully inside, Xander put a hand on her shoulder, as she walked past him.

"He won't leave anymore."

Faith sighed relieved, as the tension slowly left her. "I know."

But some nagging doubts remained and it was with a bad feeling that she went to bed. Surprisingly, she was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. But the rest wouldn't come as quickly as sleep. Memories were invading her dreams, courtesy of Mirai's questions. While she had tried to repress everything she had done in the service of Richard Wilkins, or rather the Big Snake, the memories of these things had never been truly forgotten and had continued to haunt her in her nightmares. But this night was the first night in a really long time that she was forced to face them again.

Memory after memory replayed in her head, causing Faith to toss and turn in her sleep. The accident in which she had killed a human for the first time and several other jobs she had to fulfill for the mayor and of course the power and invincibility she had felt in that time, this incredible rush of power that had made her feel like a god.

All those memories blended into each other until she couldn't keep them apart any longer. It was simply one great flood of memories nearly overwhelming her, of all the things she had done wrong, of all the people she had hurt or killed, and this was only strengthening the guilt that was still plaguing her conscience.

However, there was one feeling next to the guilt that just wouldn't let her go – the feeling of insignificance. When she had been with the mayor, she had finally felt that she was worth something, that she too had a big role to play, that she was important. A feeling she had had for the first time, when her first Watcher had come to her to tell her about her Calling, but which then had quickly faded, when she had found out that she wasn't the only Slayer.

Faith had always envied Buffy, had always been jealous of her, but not just because of her position as the real Slayer, but also of her friends and family. She had never belonged to them and slowly began to realize that, even now, she probably never would. Even though Faith now played her own role within the Scoobies, even dared to say that she was friends with them, she felt that Buffy was still more important than her. While Buffy had been gone, when everyone had thought that she was dead, Faith had tried to fit into her shoes, but it hadn't worked. She wasn't Buffy and could never be.

Even now in this dangerous situation, it was Buffy who had been sent into the Room for special training, not Faith. The dark haired Slayer couldn't help but feel contempt for the other Slayer and especially the god of this earth, Dende, for this. Immediately the guilt for this feeling had begun to haunt her, but still, this question had been imprinted on her mind ever since she had heard of the original Slayer.

Why was it always Buffy?

_"Because you have a different destiny."_

_Faith had to shield her eyes against the glaring sun, as she looked around, masking the confusion she felt. One second ago, she had been plagued by nightmares and now she was standing in a place that she couldn't even begin to describe. Everything around her was white. The ground, the air, simply everything. She couldn't see an end to this whiteness, except for a building that was just as white as everything else around her. _

_But she wasn't alone. A person clad in blinding white robes was standing just a few yards in front of her. "What the hell is this place, Queen C?" Faith snapped as soon as she recognized the person. "And what the hell are you doing here?"_

_Cordelia Chase tutted and shook her head, but there was an amused smirk on her face. "Nice to see you, too, Faith."_

_"Spare me the pleasantries, Queen C, and answer my fucking questions!"_

_With an annoyed sigh, Cordelia said, "Geez, woken up on the wrong side of the bed?" Another glare from Faith silenced her and she sighed again. "Okay, okay… I'm here because the Powers That Be needed someone to talk to you and they thought that a familiar face might do the trick to get you in a better mood. But they really should've known, I mean—"_

_"Cordy," Faith growled warningly. _

_"Alright!" Cordelia threw her hands up in exasperation. "This is the Room of Spirit and Time."_

_"The Room…" Faith was speechless, probably for the first time in her life. She looked around again. This was what the Room of Spirit and Time looked like? This was the place where Buffy was willing to spend two years to train? A shiver ran down her spine, as doubts if she would have been able to do this attacked her. "But… if this is the Room, where's…"_

_"Buffy?" Cordelia asked with raised eyebrows. "Just over there." _

_Faith whirled around and indeed, where just a few seconds before she had seen nothing, she now saw two persons, sparring with each other, and one of them was definitely Buffy, even though she had changed a bit. Her hair had grown and the other Slayer had to wear it in a braid so that it wouldn't get in the way. And also her whole stance had changed, her aura. She now radiated a confidence that hadn't always been there. And the way they fought… Faith knew that she would never be able to keep up with them, no matter how hard she trained, not even in fifty years could she achieve this._

_"B…" she whispered in awe, and again she also felt the jealousy well up._

_"They can't see or hear us," Cordelia informed her. "Our minds are just projected into this room. In reality, you are still lying on your bed, fast asleep, and I'm back in our dimension, probably worrying Angel to death because I've passed out or something like that." She chuckled slightly._

_Faith didn't even crack a smile. Instead she simply asked, "Why are you showing me this?"_

_"Because you need to understand. This is a part of Buffy's destiny, this is what she was reborn for. With her rebirth, she had gained new powers and they are now trained and also tested. You have a different path ahead of you."_

_"A different path? What kind of path?" Faith crossed her arms in front of her chest. Of course, this was just like the Powers That Be. Throwing them all into this situation only so that they could become better puppets. Sometimes she really wished that she could pay those bastards a visit and tell them just what exactly she thought of them – preferably with her fists._

_"Oh, don't we all wish that sometimes?" Cordelia asked with a grin. Faith growled again. She couldn't stand it, if someone was invading her privacy – no matter if it was just her room or her mind. "Now, to answer you question… Actually, I can't answer it. You have to figure it out for yourself. But I can tell you one thing – another step to reach your destiny is near, very near. You'll know what it is."_

_"Fan-fucking-tastic," Faith grumbled and looked again towards Buffy and the stranger, as they rushed at each other, clashed and jumped apart again. Their powers were so incredibly strong that even the ground trembled beneath them. Then, suddenly, they and the whole room faded and everything around her went dark._

_"Your destiny is waiting for you…"_

Faith sat up straight in her bed, clutching her blankets. Sweat was running down her face, her breath labored, as the dark and primal voice echoed through her mind. However, she didn't have much more time to think about this, as all of a sudden the ground shook beneath her. Faith was out of the bed in a flash, as she realized that the earthquake she had felt in her dream, vision – whatever – had been real. Not even bothering to grab her jacket, she hurried outside, just to meet Mirai in the corridor.

"What's happening?" she asked quickly, professionally.

"Da— Vegeta's attacking again and his attacks are growing stronger with every second."

"Why did nobody wake me?" Faith hurried along Mirai's longer strides, but as he didn't say anything, Faith grabbed his arm and yanked him around to face her. "Mirai, don't you avoid my questions."

"I—" His voice faltered, but he never got around to say more, as Pan also appeared, along with Dawn, Xander and Anya.

"Faith, Mirai," Dawn called. "What's going on?"

"Vegeta's begun to attack again," Faith simply told her and sent Mirai a look that clearly said 'We'll talk later', before she proceeded her walk outside. "Has anyone talked to the witches, yet? And where are the other Saiyajins?"

Just at that moment, they reached the door to the building and stepped outside, and what they saw shocked them. Cracks had appeared in the shimmering blue shield and they grew with each ki-attack Vegeta sent at the Lookout. None of his attacks seemed to be as strong as the Final Flash, although they were much stronger than the average attack, but Faith noticed that each beam hit the same spot on the shield.

"Damn it!" she cursed and hurried to Goten and Gohan. Of course, all the other Saiyajins were present already. "How long has this been going on?"

"I'm not sure," Goten said. "Maybe ten or fifteen minutes?"

"Ten or fifteen minutes?" Faith blanched and her eyes wandered to the horizon. It was getting lighter again, but it would take at least another twenty minutes, if not longer, for the sun to show at the horizon. Vegeta was as fast as lightning, so he would wait until the last second to flee. Turning around, she found Dawn kneeling next to the witches. "Dawn, how are they holding up?"

"Not good," Dawn answered, her voice weak and scared. "Tara's become too weak andWillow's mostly keeping up the shield alone now. They don't have much strength left. If Vegeta keeps up with this…" she trailed off, but she didn't say more.

They needed time. And something to give the witches more power. Faith saw thatWillowhad pressed one of her hands to the ground and for a moment wondered why, but then she noticed the wilted trees all around the Lookout. The witch was taking energy from the Lookout, but it didn't seem to be nearly enough. She needed more, something much stronger. They were so many powerful persons on the Lookout, but could the witches keep up the shield and gather so much energy at the same time?

Time… That's what they needed.

_You'll know what it is._

Faith smiled grimly and looked around the Lookout, her gaze lingering on everyone for just a second.

She knew exactly how to get them what they needed.

_'Red, can you hear me?'_ she asked in her mind, trying to reach the witch.

_'Faith?'_ Even her mind-voice was weak.

_'Yep, that's me… Listen to me, I have an idea. You need more power, right? Can you get that power from a living being, a person? A Saiyajin?'_

Faith turned her gaze back to Vegeta, hoping to appear as if she was simply watching him and thinking hard. If someone found her out, her whole plan would backfire. The witch was silent for a short moment, until the answer finally came. The crack had again grown in the meantime. It was only a matter of minutes, maybe even seconds, until the shield and the witches collapsed.

_'Yes… That's possible… But I can't hold the shield and take the energy at the same time and Tara's too tired…'_

_'Don't worry about that, Red…'_

Faith looked around again, wondering whom they could spare. None of the warriors, that much was clear. And then her eyes landed on the girl, Bra. She wasn't a warrior, but she was still powerful. Powerful enough to give the witches the strength they needed to repair and hold the shield.

"Yo, Bra!" She waved the blue haired girl over. "Come with me. I need your help."

Hearing this, Bra immediately ran over to her. There were dark rings under her eyes, but she still held more than enough energy. "What is it?" she asked eagerly. "How can I help?"

"Willowneeds more energy to hold the shield," Faith explained. "I need you to give her this strength. Just take her hand and she'll do the rest." The other girl just nodded and hurried over to the witches.

_'But Faith…' _Willow tried to contradict._ 'The shield…'_

Faith smirked, as she heard this. Once she was sure that Bra was by the witches' side, she took off running around the building, ignoring the calls of the others. _'Let me take care of this.'_ She pulled the stake that she always carried with her out of her boot and gripped it tightly. _'Just do me one favor. Open a small hole in the shield where you can feel me—'_

_'Faith! No!' _exclaimedWillow's shocked voice.

The smirk on Faith's lips simply widened. _'Don't worry, Red. I know what I'm doing. So, open the hole… NOW!' _Faith could still feel the reluctance, but as only a second later a small hole opened directly in the shield in front of her, Faith dived through it. She let herself fall a few feet, before she concentrated on her ki and stopped in midair. _'Thank you, Willow. And now I will give you the time you need to rebuild your strength.'_

Grabbing the stake tightly, Faith shot off towards the front of the shield and stopped only a few yards away from Vegeta. "Yo, Ugly!"

Shocked yells and screams reached her ears from below on the Lookout, Mirai's probably being the loudest – he truly was a good friend – but her appearance outside had the desired effect. Vegeta slowly turned around and looked at her with interest shining in his golden eyes.

"Well, well… You finally decided to stop hiding."

Faith simply shrugged. "Ya know, I just thought I couldn't avoid doing my duty any longer. I'm the Slayer and you are a vampire, so it's my job to stake you." As if to prove her point, Faith raised the hand with the stake. It wasn't shaking and Faith was proud of that. "So, whaddaya think? I'm itching for a fight."

Vegeta's smirk watched hers, distorting his already vamped out face even more, as he turned his full attention towards her. "I think that can be arranged."

_'Willow! Now!'_

But she wouldn't have needed to say anything, as the shield disappeared. Vegeta either didn't seem to notice, or he didn't seem to care, and Faith grinned inwardly at the fact that even as a vampire, the Saiyajin's first instinct was still to not back down from a challenge.

"Okay…"

Once more flexing her fingers around the stake, Faith rushed forwards, but Vegeta easily evaded her blow. Growling, Faith lunged again, and again missed him, not by inches, but by yards. But she didn't want to give up, no, she wouldn't give up, never. Again and again, Faith attacked, but he never once even appeared to be fazed by her attacks. She never touched him. It was most frustrating. It was a game of cat and mouse, and Faith was obviously the mouse.

"I'm disappointed," Vegeta said eventually, and he really sounded dissatisfied. "I had believed that a Vampire Slayer was stronger than this. But I've been wrong. Obviously. A Slayer is nothing. You, Faith are nothing."

"No!" Faith snarled and attacked one more time. Only this time, her stake connected with his chest. A fleeting feeling of triumph filled her – had she really done it? – but then the stake simply broke. It couldn't even penetrate his skin. Less than a split second later, Vegeta grabbed her hand with lightning speed and twisted it behind her back. His other hand snaked around her throat and pulled her close with her back to his chest. Faith's free arm gripped his wrist, trying to pull free, but in vain.

Almost unbearable pain shot through her arm, as he twisted it further, and she had to grit her teeth, as a snapping sound reached her ears and the arm broke. She wouldn't scream. She would never give him this satisfaction. Eventually he let the broken arm go and it dangled uselessly at her side.

"But it's a pity, really, to waste your power," he whispered into her ear, while Faith noticed that they were rising higher again, until they were again floating over the Lookout, where everyone had a clear look at them. But when Faith saw that the shield had returned to its old strength, again shining a bright blue, she allowed a smile to touch her lips. She had succeeded. However, a shiver ran down her spine, as Vegeta gently trailed the contours of her face. "I'm sure you would make a good vampire. I think I might show you mercy. So, what do you say? Will you accept my offer of immortality?"

"Go. To. Hell," Faith hissed through gritted teeth. Never. She would never again be evil. It would be _wrong_!

A low chuckle reached her ears along with a "Very well" and then something pierced the skin of her neck.

This time, a groan of pain escaped her lips, as blood was pulled from her veins. Her body slowly began to grow numb and as she looked down, she could see the shock, anger and sadness in the eyes of her friends. Her sight grew blurry, but she wasn't sure if it was because of the loss of blood or because of the tears she felt running down her cheeks.

Her eyes continued to wander over her friends and eventually rested on her best friend, Mirai, who somehow understood her so much better than the others. His face was showing the same emotions as the rest, but she could also see the one question burn in his eyes – _Why?_

Her vision darkened and eventually became black. She had lost the feelings in all of her limbs and at the same time she thought she could hear her heart fight desperately for its last few beats. Before her heart beat for the last time, one last thought flitted through her mind.

_Finally I am someone._

And then, Faith knew no more.


	15. AfterLife

**Chapter 14: AfterLife**

The sun had risen. Vegeta had retreated again. The first night was over.

But at what cost?

One of their own had sacrificed her life to save theirs, to give them time to renew the shield.

Faith was dead.

Those who had been appointed to look for the Dragonballs should leave, now that the sun was up again and it was safe to leave the Lookout, but none of them made any move to go.

Mirai was one of them. His eyes wandered around the Lookout, his gaze blurry with the tears that didn't want to fall. The Scoobies were devastated and he was both glad and surprised to see this. After all, even back in Sunnydale, Faith had appeared more of an outsider than an actual Scooby. And to see the Scoobies grieve like that for the fallen Slayer moved his heart. Because it was obvious now – Faith had been a part of them, a full-fledged Scooby, and none of them had realized this until this very moment.

"We-we… We should recover her body…" It was Tara, who spoke after an eternity filled with tense and oppressing silence. Her face was pale, her eyes barely managing to stay open, as she was completely exhausted from the night's efforts. Willow, who was lying in her girlfriend's arms, wasn't faring much better, only that she had had a boost of power from Bra to keep up the shield until dawn.

"You're right," Xander replied, his face grim and his cheeks smeared with tears. "Faith deserves a proper burial."

Xander was right, of course. Only there was a small thing that none of them had thought about, especially not the Scoobies, naturally. They hadn't grown up like he and the other Saiyajins had done. Suddenly a small, triumphant grin lit up Mirai's face, as an idea filled with hope crossed his mind.

However, before he could speak up, Dende said, "There will be no body to recover." The Scoobies stared at the Namekian in surprise, while the Saiyajins immediately caught on to what Dende was telling them. "Faith was a great warrior. And as all great warriors of this universe, I've no doubt that she has been granted a place on the Dai Kaiou's planet, where she will live and train as it is in her warrior's nature. At least until it is time to revive her with the Dragonballs."

Mirai grinned, as he watched understanding dawn on his human friends. Everyone who had grown up on this world had grown up with the tales of the Dragonballs, knowing that, as long as you didn't die for a second time, you could be brought back to life again. The Scoobies had only seen the Dragonballs at work once before, so it was perfectly understandable that they hadn't thought of them before.

However, before they could bring Faith back to life, they needed to find the Dragonballs and defeat their current threat. In less than twenty-four hours, Buffy would come out of the Room of Spirit and Time and hopefully, she would be strong enough to keep Vegeta at bay until they had found all seven magical spheres. They had found three of them yesterday, which meant that there were still four to go.

Time was running out. Who knew if Willow and Tara could keep the shield up another night in a row? The two witches were completely drained of energy and Mirai doubted that twelve hours were enough to recharge their batteries. This time, the shield could fall before sunrise, and Mirai feared that it would. They might even have to fight Vegeta and his vampires this time, to give others of their group enough time to find the remaining spheres, if they hadn't found them all until sunset tonight.

"We should go now," he suddenly announced, disturbing the joyful discussion of the Scoobies that had replaced their mourning. Time was running out, they needed to leave as soon as possible, if they wanted a fighting chance of finding the last Dragonballs before the sun had set again. "We can't bring Faith back without the Dragonballs and without the Dragonballs, we can't defeat Vegeta. I'd suggest the same teams as yesterday."

Only without Faith, he added in his thoughts. Even though they could bring her back, if they found all the Dragonballs, her loss had still hit him hard. When he and Pan had arrived in Sunnydale, they had been the odd ones out, like Faith had been. But while Pan had been quickly accepted as the new Slayer, the Scoobies had at first treaded warily around him and Faith. During that time, the friendship between him and the Slayer had grown and they had noticed that they had a few things in common – a crappy past being one of them. He was proud to count himself as one of the very few persons that Faith had opened up to. And now she was gone, and this, if they didn't find the Dragonballs, forever.

Even though, he realized with a wry grin, Faith would certainly make life on Dai Kaiou's planet a lot more interesting.

The other Saiyajins nodded resolutely at Mirai's suggestion and Dawn came up to him and Pan. The teenager's eyes were still bloodshot, but the grief in her eyes had disappeared. Instead all he could see now was the determination and hope that they could find all the Dragonballs. "Alright," she said. "I'm ready. Let's go."

The Scoobies waved after them, as the two groups, both armed with one of Bulma's infamous Dragonball radars, or as Dawn had shortened it, Dragondar, left the Lookout on their mission to find the four remaining Dragonballs. Seeing as it was summer, they still had close to fifteen hours of daylight to fulfill their task, but it might not be enough.

* * *

Faith had never really been a religious person. In fact, she doubted very much that there was something like heaven and hell. Hell dimensions and dimensions that might appear as paradise, sure, she had no problems to believe in that, but heaven and hell in the biblical sense – no fucking way. So she had had no idea, where she would go, after she had died. Somehow she had imagined that she might just cease to exist, or maybe return as a ghost, so her surprise was easy to imagine, as she was suddenly standing at the end of a line of small white and fluffy clouds.

The last thing she remembered was getting sucked dry by that bastard Vegeta – okay, he had turned into a downright soulless demon, when he had become a vampire. As a matter of fact, she had always thought that she and the normal Saiyajin Vegeta would have gotten alone greatly, if given a chance. She could still feel his cold hands holding her tightly, his teeth buried in her neck, could still see the Scoobies and Saiyajins on the Lookout, as they were forced to watch with desperate eyes.

So, how did she get here? And why did she still feel alive, when she knew for a fact that she had died?

"What the fucking…" she only mumbled, as her gaze wandered around. She and the clouds appeared to be in a Chinese or Japanese looking building and at the other end of the line she could see a huge desk. This itself wouldn't have been too strange, if there weren't this gigantic red human looking demon dressed in a horrible blue suit sitting at said desk. Her fingers itched to grab one of the many weapons she used to carry around, but she was startled to notice that all her weapons were gone.

Just what the hell was going on here? And where was 'here'?

Fortunately, a blue skinned demon with small horns around her height, looking very much like a bookkeeper, hurried along the line of clouds and just as it ran past Faith, her hand shot out and grabbed it at its collar. The demon squeaked, as it was lifted from its feet. "Hey… care to tell me where I am?" she growled.

She smirked, as the demon looked at her with fear in his wide eyes. "You-you… You a-are in Enma Daiou's court…." The demon must have interpreted the blank and impatient look on Faith's face correctly, because he elaborated, "Here you'll be judged. Enma Daiou will decide if you'll go to hell or heaven."

"Well… I'll be damned," Faith muttered, as she let the demon go and watched him scurry away. A wry smirk appeared again on her face, as she thought of her choice of words. She might just be right. She doubted that she had already atoned for all of her sins and would get the right to go to heaven. Faith had to suppress a mocking laugh at this – hadn't she just thought that the biblical hell and heaven didn't exist? Boy, she really seemed to be wrong. But hell, bring it on. Hell would certainly be more fun than heaven anyway. "Fuck," she muttered again. "I need a smoke."

After her confrontation with the poor employee of Enma Daiou's, the clouds in front of and behind her had decided to better leave some space between them and that strange woman, who had been allowed to keep her body. It was their understanding that only great warriors, heroes, kept their body, but one of the gods must have made a mistake with her.

Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Faith watched as the distance between her and the desk became steadily smaller. All clouds turned left, after they had been judged, but some of them looked happy and some of them really down. Faith shook her head. She must be going crazy, if she thought that tiny white clouds could look happy or sad.

Then, finally, it was her turn. Whoah, she thought, as she had to crane her neck to look up at this enemy-guy. Saying that he was huge would be the understatement of the millennium. Not even hugegantic would cover it. There was no way in fucking hell that she could take this guy on.

Damn.

So there was only one thing to do – wait and be judged.

This giant of a demon leaved through some pages of the large notebook that was lying in front of him, a confused frown on his face. He gazed down at the dead person standing in front of his desk, and again into his book, before he shook his head. "And who are you?" he asked in a booming voice.

Faith resisted the urge to flinch and stood her ground defiantly. "The name's Faith."

The demon – what was his name again? – frowned again and turned his attention back to the notebook, mumbling her name under his breath, before he muttered, "There's no Faith in here," and looked back at the woman in front of his desk. "You have a halo, so that means you are dead and the dead always come here first, even if they are allowed to keep their bodies."

"Wait," it burst out of Faith before she could stop it. "What do you mean, I have a halo? I've got no friggin' halo!" As if trying to prove the truth of her words, Faith reached up, to show that there was no such thing as a halo, however, her hands froze, when they touched something. Something round and pleasantly warm. Now she craned her neck and managed to catch a glimpse of the thing that was apparently floating above her head – a halo. Groaning, she muttered, "Fan-fucking-tastic… Spike'll never let me live that down."

The clouds behind her had taken an ever bigger safety distance after that outburst, afraid that the woman in front of them might react violently. Enma Daiou also appeared to be wary of her temper, as he said carefully, "Miss… Faith… As interesting as the halo is, I still have the problem that I don't have a warrior with your name on my list…"

"Huh?" Faith looked up the desk and saw that this enemy-dai-judge-guy was now leaning over the desk and regarding her cautiously. "Oh yeah, this might be because I ain't from this dimension. Came here along with some friends to save Dawnie. Turned out we have to fight vampjin Vegeta, too. That's how I died, ya know, fighting him."

If it were possible, Enma Daiou's face became suddenly pale. "Did you just say… Vegeta? As in Vegeta, the prince of the Saiyajins, currently living on Earth?"

"Duh." Faith had never imagined using this expression, but alone seeing the look on the guy's face was completely worth it. "I only know one Vegeta on Earth. Got himself turned into a vampire and now wants to turn all his kids as well, so that they can rule the universe together as one big happy demonic family. Don't ya have a TV up here, to keep up with the news in your universe?"

Did that guy actually sweatdrop just now? Faith raised an eyebrow, as this judge-guy stuttered out an explanation. "We-we do… but… but life on Earth… it has been so quiet… so peaceful… since Bebi and the dragons… Should probably watch again more often."

"Okay, let me tell ya something," Faith said. "One of the main rules of being a Slayer – when it gets to peaceful, you should probably expect the next apocalypse. But back to me being dead… If I'm not on your list, where does this leave me?"

Enma Daiou sighed. This had truly never happened before. But then again, he had never had someone from another dimension stand in front of him. And this person from another dimension had appeared on their Earth, of course. He sighed quietly – he still remembered a time, when Earth had just been a small backwater planet of no consequence, but then Son Goku had landed there and changed everything. From that moment on that planet had been the location of so many battles that it was a wonder that the planet hadn't been destroyed more often than those two times.

However, back to his current predicament. How could he judge someone, who wasn't on his list? He needed the list – on that list he found all the good and bad deeds that a person has done. He couldn't judge this Faith without his list. And the first impression that she left wasn't necessarily in her favor. But still… "I have no idea. That you are allowed to keep your body usually speaks for you. It means that you are allowed to go to the Dai Kaiou's planet and train with them, together with all the other warriors who have been granted the same privilege."

Faith's eyes lit up, when she heard the words 'train' and 'warriors'. Cracking her knuckles, she asked, "Alright, how do I get to this place?"

"Uhm… usually one of the four Kaiou's would get you…"

"And that's why I'm here," a voice to their right suddenly announced. Faith raised her eyebrows again – this place couldn't get any weirder. In front of her was now a short and pretty fat blue being with sunglasses and antennas on his head. "I apologize for being slightly late, but as Faith has probably already told you, the situation on Earth right now is very… serious."

"Kaiousama," Enma Daiou was relieved to see him. "I take it that you will accompany Miss Faith to the Dai Kaiou's planet?" At Kaiousama's nod, he turned again to Faith. "Miss Faith, I will now leave you in the capable hands of Kaiousama. He is the Northern Kaiou, responsible for Earth."

"Thanks," Faith called out over her shoulder, as she was already crossing the distance to that blue Kaiou. Now she only needed to find out what a Kaiou actually was. "Alright, lead the way."

"If you would follow me…"

If Kaiousama had known beforehand what he was getting into, when he had agreed to get the young woman from Enma Daiou's, he probably wouldn't have done it. She didn't laugh at any of his jokes, but was instead pestering him with questions about the warriors that she would meet on Dai Kaiou's planet. Her language was crude, he flinched at her willingness for violence and blanched, when she asked him, if he knew if any of the alien warriors were any good in the sack.

So he was more than happy when the small plane landed on Dai Kaiou's planet – oh, how he wished to be able to travel with Goku and his Shunkan Idou, but sadly no one knew exactly what had happened to the Saiyajin after he had merged with the Dragonballs – and he could finally hand her over to the Dai Kaiou.

The walk from the plane to the palace would have been a short one, if they hadn't passed some training warriors – all of them male. Faith stopped directly next to two sparring warriors and clicked her tongue in approval. "Now that's my kind of playground."

"Faith!" Kaiousama called out, but in vain, as Faith was already walking up to them.

"Yo!" Faith yelled to get their attention and was successful, as the two warriors immediately stopped their training. And just as the warriors they were, they were immediately seizing her up with a scrutinizing look. "I'm new, just came in from Earth… the name's Faith. Mind if I join you?"

The two warriors – she really needed to get used to their looks, with one having pitch-black skin and long white hair and the other being a bright orange color with no hair at all; well, at least the rest of their bodies looked pretty human – looked at another, a cautious look passing between them. Then, the black one asked, "You're from Earth? Are you a Saiyajin?"

Faith barked out a laugh – Saiyajins really must be infamous – but shook her head. "I wish… No, I'm just your normal run-of-the-mill Vampire Slayer." Both looked immediately relieved, but Faith only smirked at them. "But… though I ain't no Saiyajin, I can still pack a punch. You two better believe it. And hey, do you have smoke for me and a beer? Or maybe a smoke or a beer? I'm not picky."

And that's how Faith's stay on the Dai Kaiou's planet began and just as Mirai had already predicted, life was going to be a lot more interesting while she was there.

Kaiousama was watching the ensuing sparring match with interest. This woman could certainly hold her own against the two warriors, something he hadn't quite expected. He didn't know exactly, what a Slayer was, but somehow he had expected someone a bit different, someone a bit more heroic. Pure, good, big… But not this woman…

The Dai Kaiou joined him a moment later. They watched some more of this fight in silence, before Kaiousama finally asked the question that had been burning on his mind for some time. "And this is one of the girls who, according to the Kaioushin, have such a great destiny that they will change their world?"

The Dai Kaiou only nodded thoughtfully.

* * *

Rupert Giles was worried. The people he considered his family had been gone for more than two days already and he had received no word from them. He had no idea, where that portal had sent them, if they had found Dawn, if they were alright and if they ever managed to open the portal again to come home. However, his general worry had somehow increased that morning, when he had woken up with a strange feeling that something bad had happened.

He couldn't shake that feeling, when he had breakfast, when he opened the Magic Box or when Angel's group arrived at the shop. They had patrolled the night before, but couldn't report anything unusual. Just a couple of vampires, which was nothing unusual in Sunnydale.

At the moment, when the phone began to ring, Angel was in the backroom, working out, and Wesley and Cordelia were researching mystical portals and other dimensions, hoping to find a way to bring the Scoobies back, if they didn't manage to do it themselves. Suffice to say, the stack of discarded books was steadily growing.

"This is the Magic Box, Rupert Giles speaking," Giles answered the phone, rather distractedly, as he was also reading one of the many thick tomes he owned. However, he was instantly alert, when he heard who was on the other end of the line. "Robson? Is something wrong?"

Cordelia looked up confused, but it was Wesley who was now regarding Giles curiously, while he was talking on the phone, trying to decipher the meaning of the call by hearing Giles's side of it.

"A-are you completely sure?" Giles asked, taking off his glasses, however it was not possible to clean them with only one free hand. Instead, he scratched his temple, as he listened. "O-okay… I understand… thank you for calling… I'll call Mister Perkins, when I've got time to meet her. Goodbye…"

Giles's face was pale, as he turned to face them. "Cordelia… could you please get Angel… I've just got… bad news…"

"I'm already here," came from the door to the backroom, as Angel stepped inside. There was a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead and he was wearing a towel over his shoulders.

"Rupert… was this Robson from the Council?" Wesley asked.

Now cleaning his glasses, Giles hesitated a moment, before he answered. It was very obvious that whatever Robson had told him, had visibly shaken him. "Yes… it was him… He…" Giles looked up, apparently at a loss of words, before he finally said, "A new Slayer has been called this morning."

"Dear Lord," Wesley breathed, burying his face in his hands for a moment.

Angel sank down on a chair, shocked by the news and Cordelia's voice was slightly teary, as she asked, "Buffy?"

Shaking his head, Giles explained, "No. When Buffy died the first time, the line continued with Kendra. As you know, when Buffy died the second time, no new Slayer was called – though we had thought that Pan was the new Slayer. However, Buffy wasn't part of the Slayer line anymore. When Drusilla killed Kendra, Faith was called… and now…."

"Faith is dead," Angel whispered, his breath hitching. He was staring at the ground, not knowing what else to do. Later, he would probably release his anger at this by pummeling a couple of demons, but now he could only grieve for the girl who, like him, had only wanted to atone for her sins. He could only remember all too clearly the night in Los Angeles, when she had begged him to kill her. The night he had decided to give her a second chance – and now she would never get the opportunity to use this second chance to its fullest.

Giles nodded silently, allowing the news to sink in. He wearily sat down on a chair as well. Whatever he had expected of the young people's trip, it hadn't been the death of one of his Slayers. Bloody hell, what if she wasn't the only one? What if…

No, he didn't want to think about what ifs! He had to hope for the best. Otherwise he would become insane with worry.

"So, what's the what about the new girl?" Cordelia finally broke the silence.

"According to Robson, she's from New York City and has been training for some time already. Actually, neither she nor her Watcher thought that she might ever be called, because she has already passed her eighteenth birthday. In just a couple of years, she probably would have started working for the Council in another way, as all Slayers are called in their teenage years."

"That's really interesting, Giles," Cordelia said with only a hint of sarcasm in her voice – in the current situation she just couldn't unload the full load of sarcasm that she usually used – but at least the impatience in her tone made the others crack a small smile. "But what's her name?"

Giles, too, allowed the small tug at his lips, as he put his glasses back on his nose and answered, "The girl's name is… uh… Kennedy. I'll invite her to come to Sunnydale to get to know her as soon as Buffy and the others are back. But until then, we have to continue our research. Faith's… death… only shows us that wherever they are, they are in danger. We have to get them back as soon as possible."

And so they hit the books again, hoping against hope to find something, anything that would bring their friends back.


	16. Lost Chance

**Chapter 15: Lost Chance**

Dawn didn't want to admit it, but she was absolutely exhausted. Her strength was leaving her and it was still one and a half hour until sunset, which meant they only had one more hour until they had to return to the Lookout. She desperately needed a break, but she didn't dare to ask. Time was running out and they still had only found one Dragonball. According to their radar, the other group also had just one, but they weren't too far from their second Dragonball. They would surely get it within the next hour.

However, she noticed that it was almost impossible to keep up with Mirai and Pan any longer and they were already flying slower than they could out of consideration for her. Maybe she should have just stayed at the Lookout, together with the others. After all, she was still just a human girl – a human girl whose blood could open portals, but a human girl nonetheless. She didn't have this seemingly infinite power these Saiyajins appeared to have. And the previous day and night had really taken a toll on her.

Cursing under her breath, Dawn realized that the distance between her and her two Saiyajin friends had grown once again. Today she was nothing but a liability.

Feeling her face grow hot in embarrassment and anger at herself, Dawn saw how Pan and Mirai stopped to wait for her. She caught up to them a few seconds later, sweat running down her back and face and completely out of breath.

"Are you okay, Dawn?" Pan asked concerned.

"'M five by five," Dawn breathed, glad that they had stopped for the moment, but it was still taking some energy to stay in the air. Would it be too risky to land here and wait for Pan and Mirai? They would be a lot faster without her, she knew that. And it was still light here, so she should be safe from Vegeta, right? Especially if she kept her ki low and he concentrated on the Lookout…

Mirai frowned, as he was looking at her. "You don't look okay, Dawn. Maybe we should take a break."

"No," Dawn insisted. "I'll be fine… We don't have much time left… And there's still one Dragonball that we have to find and bring back to the Lookout. Just give me a sec to catch my breath and then we can go on."

Pan and Mirai exchanged a look and Dawn was sure that they were talking to each other through their bond, obviously discussing what they should do now. Dawn felt really bad that she was putting them in this position – they shouldn't have to decide if they had to take a break because of Dawn and continue to look for the Dragonball right away. The Dragonballs were now more important than her, much more important and taking a break was just out of the question.

So, with a resolve face that rivaled Willow's, Dawn decided, "Listen… We all know that I only slow you down. There is a nice little forest under us in which I can hide. Why don't you two go on ahead and I will wait here for you?"

Though she had formulated it as a question, Dawn wouldn't allow them to argue. The sun was going to set soon and the last Dragonball was still pretty far away. So, when Pan and Mirai began to argue, she simply crossed her arms and shook her head resolutely.

"No buts," she told them firmly. "I'm going to land now and you two hurry up and find the Dragonball! And if you don't manage to get me in time, just go back to the Lookout without me. I'm sure that Vegeta won't find me here. I'll be fine."

"If you're sure…" Pan trailed off, sounding worried. "Maybe one of us should stay with you, just in case."

"Don't even start. You and Mirai need to go together. Didn't you just say one hour ago that it might become dangerous where you're going? The last Dragonball is on the side of the world where it's night right now, so there's a chance that you might meet vampires. At least I'll be safer here, where it's still daylight. Go, get the Dragonball, get it to the Lookout and then come for me. Then the others will have the chance to call the dragon."

"Alright," Mirai agreed reluctantly, shaking his head as Pan wanted to protest again. "But be careful."

"Aren't I always?" Dawn replied with a grin and then began the desired descent to the ground. Her two friends waited until she had disappeared under the trees and then shot off, now travelling at a speed that Dawn could have never reached, not even when she was fully rested. "Good luck," she whispered, when she saw the two dots in the sky shoot off and disappear.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, Dawn lowered her ki as much as possible and let out a sigh of relief. Her knees felt like jell-o, but it felt amazing to have solid ground under her feet. After having taken a few shaky steps, Dawn sank to the ground in front of a large tree, took the backpack from her back and rested against the tree, closing her eyes for a few seconds.

It really was better this way, though Buffy would probably say that it was reckless to stay unprotected and alone in an area that she didn't know. Still, she wouldn't hinder Pan and Mirai any longer – Dawn would have never forgiven herself, if someone else had died just because she had slowed them down and they hadn't found the Dragonball in time.

But she didn't want to stay clueless all the time, so, after she had taken a sip from the water bottle in her backpack, she concentrated again on her ki and tried to feel the others. Because of her exhaustion, it was harder than usual, but she finally found Pan and Mirai and followed them this way, praying to whatever power would listen that they found the last Dragonball and could end this before more lives were lost.

* * *

Bra was, besides Dende and Popo, the only one on the Lookout with the ability to sense ki and was therewith one of the few who could keep the Scoobies informed about what was happening to the two groups looking for the Dragonballs. However, when she suddenly felt Dawn's ki disappear, she wasn't sure, if she should tell them. After all, this didn't have to mean anything.

"Hey, what's with the frowning?"

Damn, Bra cursed inwardly. Of all the people to notice her thoughtfulness it had to be Xander, the most observant of the group. In the short time that she had known him, she was almost completely certain that he would see right through her lies.

So, instead of even trying to lie, she told him, "I can't feel Dawn anymore." Then, upon the shocked look on Xander's face, she quickly reassured him, "But this doesn't have to mean that she's dead. She could just hide her ki. Actually, I'm pretty sure that she did just that, because I can still feel Pan and Mirai and there hasn't been any sign of a battle… I would have felt it, if they had been fighting against someone."

"Then I hope you're right," Xander said seriously. "Buffy wouldn't take well to Dawn being hurt or… dead."

"Yeah… I can imagine that she would be very angry."

Xander however only shook his head. "Her anger is not what I'm worried about. Actually, her anger could give her a certain edge in this fight. No, what I'm worried about is a repeat performance of what happened, when Glory kidnapped Dawn. We almost lost Buffy that day, she became catatonic, and Willow just barely managed to snap her out of it."

Bra frowned again, as she nodded thoughtfully. "Then we better hope that Dawn is alright or that Buffy doesn't notice that something is wrong, when she leaves the Room."

"If you want to know, how Dawn is doing, why you don't look?"

Xander turned around startled, only to see Mr. Popo stand right behind him. Somehow, Dende's servant gave him the wiggins. This guy certainly knew how to creep up on someone, and while he looked pretty harmless, Xander was very sure that this was just a façade, that there was much more to this man than he might show.

"Uh… what?"

"You follow me and I show you how you can see Dawn."

Without another word, Popo walked away. Xander looked at Bra questioningly, but she only shrugged, so Xander did the only thing he could do and followed Mr. Popo. He was starting to feel a bit queasy, when he realized how close Mr. Popo was to the edge of the Lookout when he stopped. They were… Xander didn't even want to think about how high up they were exactly. He had kept his eyes closed the whole time on the flight up and the Lookout was big enough to ignore the fact that it was _floating_ in the air, basically mocking gravity.

"Now you look down and concentrate on what you want to see."

"A-are you sure?" Xander asked hesitantly, as he slowly, inch by inch, stepped closer to the edge. He swallowed hard. Generally he had no problems with heights, which would be bad when he was working on a construction site, but standing here without any safety measures just screamed _DANGEROUS_ at him.

Mr. Popo, however, only nodded. "This is how Dende is seeing what is going on down on earth."

"Oookay…"

After he had taken one more deep breath, Xander closed the remaining distance between himself and Mr. Popo and carefully gazed over the edge. At first the only thing he could see was clouds, but then, suddenly, when he concentrated on Dawn, it was as if he were looking through an amazing looking glass and his eyes landed on the girl in question.

He couldn't keep back the sigh of relief, as he realized that though she appeared a bit exhausted, Dawn was alright. She was resting against a tree and eating something, but had her weapons very close by, just in case. And there was a bright patch of sunlight just a few yards away.

However, Pan and Mirai were nowhere to be seen. Concentrating on them now, his eyes quickly focused on the flying pair. It was dark, where they were, and it was making Xander a bit nervous. Darkness and night meant vampires, but as long as Vegeta stayed away from them, the two Saiyajins should have no problems dealing with other vampires.

Still, at least his Dawnster appeared to be safe, for now, something he was extremely happy about. Now Buffy wouldn't go catatonic because of Dawn. But there was still the issue of Spike and what he had done. Xander still couldn't get over the fact that Spike, who had actually become one of his best friends in the course of the past months and everything that had happened since Buffy had jumped off that tower – the fact that Spike had become human had helped a lot-, would go back to Drusilla. Even if it was a part of some crazy plan. This crazy plan would just make him dead.

But was he really?

Once again concentrating, Xander suddenly saw the entrance of a cave. His gaze travelled through the entrance like a camera and then he saw him. And at the same time, he wished he didn't. The demonic visage that had been absent in the last couple of months was back. Bumpy forehead, yellow eyes, fanged teeth. But this wasn't the worst thing. It wasn't even the worst thing that Drusilla was fawning all over him. No, the worst thing was the body of a human that was lying in his arms and the faint trail of blood that was trickling out of his mouth. Xander had to look away, when Spike just lazily let the body drop to the floor and then moved to kiss Drusilla.

Spike had betrayed them all, choosing immortality and the demon over the faint hope that they might be able to defeat Vegeta. He chose Drusilla over Buffy, and Xander was sure that he would never forgive Spike this.

If Buffy didn't put a stake through Spike's heart, when she found out about this, he would do it, Xander decided firmly, as his eyes landed on Vegeta, who was standing near the cave's entrance, looking outside.

* * *

The sun was going to set soon, very soon. Vegeta smirked. He was a hundred percent sure that this time, the witches wouldn't last the night. He would have had his victory the last night, if that pesky Slayer hadn't decided to interfere and buy time for the witches. And while tasting the Slayer's blood was almost as good as being with his mate, Vegeta wasn't known for being a patient man, and having been delayed for another night made him edgy. He could feel his and Kakarotto's brats all over the world, looking for the Dragonballs.

Damn them, if they found them all before he could make his move. It would ruin everything!

A cool hand – though he was no longer bothered by it – brushed against his own hand. His mate had joined him at the entrance of the cave, looking out at the slowly darker growing sky. "Soon," she whispered. "Soon our family will be complete again."

Her hand travelled up his chest and Vegeta grabbed it firmly in his own, before pulling Bulma in for a kiss. Having her come to him, on her own, wanting to be turned just to be with him, was truly the best thing that had happened to him in the last few days, ever since he had woken up with his heart not beating any longer. While he truly enjoyed this new power, no longer having to struggle with his conscience, with his soul, this freedom, it would have been a dreary existence without his mate by his side. And she was right, soon their whole family would be with them and they could reign over this planet and maybe the whole universe as was their right.

"Is it done?" he asked huskily, when they broke apart.

"Yes," Bulma answered. "All the jets have been modified."

"Very good." Turning to his _minions_, Drusilla and her new pet Spike included, Vegeta announced, "We will leave for the Lookout now. I believe that, as soon as I break through the witches' wards, they will scatter and look for a hiding place on the ground. And you will be there to pick them off."

"B-but the sun is still out! We'll be turned to dust," one of the worthless minions stuttered.

He smirked and a second later said minion was burned to dust, thanks to a small but very effective ki-ball. "You'll be turned to dust, if you question my orders. Nothing will happen, my mate made sure of that by modifying the glass of the jet so that the sunlight won't hurt us. Show them, woman."

Bulma confidently strode forward, while she was taking a box filled with capsules out of a pocket of her pants – it had been fortunate that she still used to carry around the jets and her most important tools – and then proceeded to take one of the capsules out, throwing it to the floor. Revealed was a large jet, with enough space for all of them to fit in.

"The glass is now vampire proof," she explained. "It filters the UV-rays that are dangerous for our kind. This means we can travel without having to worry about the sun."

The vampires were still looking at her questioningly, but at the same time throwing Vegeta scared looks. They wondered, who of them would be next, if they refused to get on the jet. Suddenly, they started, as they heard a snort.

Spike swaggered forward and opened the door to the jet. "What are you cowards waiting for? I feel like killing myself a Slayer."

Vegeta smirked, as he watched Spike get on the jet. He had been a bit skeptical about Drusilla turning him – not that he'd had any chance to stop this, as he had been too busy with his mate at that time – but now the vampire proved to be an asset. And, Vegeta shouldn't forget, he not only knew how to deal with a Slayer, but might be another blow for that tight-knit group that was making his life so difficult right now. Seeing another one of their ranks on the side of the enemy might just shake them up a bit more.

* * *

"Damn it, where are they?" Xander muttered, having left the edge of the Lookout after he had seen what Spike had become. He hadn't really wanted to see more. But now he regretted having left this spot, as the sun was very close to being gone.

Willow and Tara had already started their chant, making sure that the wards were up the moment the Saiyajins landed on the Lookout. It would only be a matter of minutes now, he hoped. He really didn't want to lock them out, when they didn't get back in time.

"There they're coming!" Anya suddenly called out.

Xander followed her gaze and indeed, three bright golden spots were zooming towards them. Just two seconds later, Goten, Gohan and Trunks landed on the Lookout, not once bothering to power down. Xander couldn't blame them. With the sun being almost down, Vegeta would be here soon, and they all knew that Willow and Tara were still exhausted and would have trouble keeping the shield up. Actually, their only chance to last the night were the Dragonballs.

"Did you get them?" Anya asked hopefully. "Cause you know that I don't want to die."

Goten grinned at her and showed her a pouch, which he held open for her. Inside were two golden spheres. Now they had five – only two more to go.

Pan, Mirai and Dawn were still missing. Was Dawn still at her hiding place? Would it be safe for her there now that it was dark? Maybe it was a lot safer than being here. Vegeta would be here _very_ soon and Dawn could take care of a couple of normal vamps herself, if they decided to cross her path. Besides, how should they find her? She was hiding her ki.

Hoping that this was enough to reassure himself, Xander turned his attention back to the three Saiyajins, as they argued with each other.

"My daughter is still out there!" Gohan almost yelled. "We can't raise the wards, yet!"

"Well, my father's out there, too, pretty close and you feel it, Gohan! He's already under the Lookout with his vampires. He'll be up here the moment the sun's down! Which will be in two minutes!" Trunks replied heatedly.

"Bro, Trunks is right… We can't wait…" Goten put a calming hand on his brother's arm. "And besides, did you forget? Pan can get through the wards with Shunkan Idou."

"Can she?" Gohan asked doubtfully, looking at Tara and Willow questioningly.

"Sure she can," Xander threw in quickly. "The wards are only meant to keep out physical attacks. And teleporting isn't a physical attack."

Gohan still looked as if he was doubting Xander's words, but eventually nodded. "Alright. Set up the wards. But, if she doesn't get through…"

"I'm dead, I know," Xander grinned. "Actually, if she doesn't get through, we'll all be dead eventually."

Then, the moment the sun disappeared completely behind the horizon, the Lookout was once again surrounded by the blue wards. Willow and Tara were deep in concentration, but already a few minutes later, the strain was visible on their faces. They magical sources had been almost completely empty the previous night and just one day of rest hadn't been enough to restore their energy.

Xander hoped that Pan would teleport back soon with the remaining Dragonballs.

This wish only strengthened a minute later, when Vegeta passed the edge of the Lookout, floating slowly upwards with a victorious smirk on his face, until he stopped about a hundred yards from the bright blue shield, seemingly pointing the palm of his hand at them in slow motion and then releasing a pretty powerful ki-ball. It hit the wards with a loud _boom_.

* * *

"I've got it!" Pan suddenly yelled, as she came crawling out of a small hole in a mountain. The sun had risen at this place about half an hour ago and they had already felt Vegeta attack shortly after sunset. She allowed herself the luxury to stretch – the hole had really been tiny and her clothes had suffered by the sharp edges. But all this didn't matter now. They had the last Dragonball – it was time to go to the Lookout and call Shenlong.

"Finally!" Mirai sighed, just as relieved as Pan. "You still have a lock on Dawn's ki?"

"Sure," Pan said, as she quickly put the Dragonball to the other one in her backpack. "But we don't have time to get her. Vegeta's been attacking for too long. I don't know how long Willow and Tara…"

"Okay," Mirai cut her off, a bit reluctantly. He really hated leaving behind Dawn, but knew just as well as Pan that they had no time to lose. "Bring us back."

Without answering, Pan grabbed his hand, concentrated on the kis on the Lookout and disappeared. Her feet hit the ground of the Lookout hard, just as another ki-ball collided with the shield. Pan gasped – she had been right. If they had been any later, it would have been too late. Cracks had appeared and Willow and Tara didn't look like they could go on much longer.

"Pan!"

"Mirai!"

Excited and relieved cries from their friends welcomed them, but they weren't the only ones who noticed their arrival. Vegeta was staring straight at them, pausing in his attacks for a second, before beginning again, this time with more force. He had been playing a bit until now, but now it was time to get serious.

"Quick, the Dragonballs!" Dende, who was standing in the middle of the platform with the other five Dragonballs lying in front of him, urged.

Pan quickly lowered the backpack as she ran over to Dende and took out the remaining two Dragonballs. As they joined their brothers, all seven spheres were glowing in a bright orange color. "Shenlong," she yelled the moment they were glowing, "we call…"

However, her summoning was disturbed by twin screams of agony. Willow and Tara were doubled over and the shield flashed a blinding blue before it disappeared completely. Before Pan could even react, Vegeta had appeared right in front of her. She couldn't move, couldn't even scream, as his demonic face and yellow eyes looked down at her. She heard Mirai call her name in the background, but she couldn't react, as Vegeta slowly crouched down and took one of the spheres – the one with the four stars – and a split second later threw it away.

Pan's head jerked around, as her eyes followed the Dragonball sail over the edge of the Lookout and disappear in the distance. The other spheres had stopped glowing – now again incomplete. Their chance of summoning Shenlong had passed. They had lost.

Suddenly, a golden glow blurred past her and Vegeta was thrown backwards, away from Pan. Mirai was standing in front of her, with his back turned towards her. He had become a Super Saiyajin. Looking over his shoulder at her, he ordered, "Leave! Take the Dragonballs and go to Dawn! You have to find the last one again!"

Pan couldn't believe this. She couldn't leave them here, to their fate.

"Go!" Mirai ordered again and finally she snapped out of it. After all, she was the only one who could get away without Vegeta catching her.

Vegeta was watching them with interest, but then, when he realized that Pan was beginning to put the six Dragonballs into her backpack, he reacted. He rushed forward, but was intercepted by Mirai. Pan used the chance to grab the full backpack tightly, concentrate on Dawn's ki, and disappear.

Mirai felt Pan vanish from the Lookout and then also her ki disappear from Earth, as she hid it. For a second he wondered if he would ever see her again in this life, before he turned his full attention again to his father. "She'll find the Dragonball and then this will be over."

"Don't be so sure about that, boy," Vegeta snarled. "First I'll kill you all and then I'll go after her. She can't hide forever."

"You'll have to find us first," Mirai smirked. "SCATTER!"

Just as they had talked it over, in case Vegeta managed to break the wards – what he had just done – each fighter grabbed at least one non-fighter and jumped off the Lookout, hurrying to reach the ground.

However, Vegeta only watched this happening with a smirk on his face. After all, he had expected this, so he didn't do anything, as the brat from the future grabbed the dark haired boy and the boy's annoying mate and fled the Lookout as well. The brat's ki vanished shortly after that.

Vegeta's smirked widened. The hunt was on.

* * *

Dawn shrieked startled, as Pan suddenly materialized right in front of her, looking frazzled. "Pan?" she jumped up, immediately running over to the other girl. "What's going on? I've felt Vegeta's ki at the Lookout. Did he get through? What happened? Where are the others?"

"He broke through the wards," Pan explained hurriedly, lowering her ki so much that Vegeta shouldn't be able to feel her. "Just before we could call Shenlong. He took a sphere and threw it away."

"Oh no!"

"Then Mirai told me to get to you. We have to find the Dragonball again."

Dawn nodded, but she was still worried. After all, almost her whole family was on the Lookout. "What about the others?"

Pan concentrated for a brief moment, using the time to catch her breath. "Emergency plan. They're leaving the Lookout and going into hiding on the ground. Can you feel their kis disappear one by one?"

"Yeah…" Dawn let out a deep breath. She crossed her fingers and hoped against hope that they would all get out of this unscathed. "So, how are we gonna look for the Dragonballs, now? I'm still too tired to fly long distances… And I'm sure that you're hiding your ki so that Vegeta can't find and stop us."

"You're right. And we use this…" Pan took a capsule out of her pocket and threw it to the floor. Dawn gasped – though she had seen this amazing technology already a couple of times, since she had appeared in this dimension – as something that looked like a motorcycle only without wheels appeared right in front of them, floating about a feet above the ground. "It's very fast, so you better wear this."

Dawn caught the helmet that Pan threw at her and pulled it over head. She was sure that she looked pretty stupid, but she wasn't a Saiyajin and a crash with this thing could make her very much dead. She stepped up to Pan, as the other girl was throwing her leg over the bike, and hesitantly settled down behind her. Over Pan's shoulder she could see the dragon radar fixed on the display, a small spot blinking on it.

"Hold on tight!" Pan yelled and just as Dawn had wrapped her arms tightly around the other girl's waist, they were off. Trees were rushing past them and Dawn's hair was whipping through the air. If the situation weren't as serious, she might have actually enjoyed it.

As she looked over her shoulder, Dawn briefly wondered, when Buffy would finally come out of this room and if her training was enough to stop Vegeta.

* * *

"Good morning!" Goku greeted Buffy cheerfully, as she joined him at the breakfast table. Buffy eyed him suspiciously, as she sat down across from him and took some of the scrambled eggs that he had prepared.

"You're awfully chipper this morning," she remarked, but then thought for a second. "Well, even more chipper than you usually are."

"Aww… you think so? Well, I'm just happy that after this breakfast, we'll leave this room."

The fork stopped midway on the way to Buffy's mouth, causing the eggs to fall down on the plate. She stared at him open-mouthed. "W-what?" She couldn't have heard right. The two years weren't up yet and Buffy thought that there was still so much more she could learn.

"I've been thinking about this for a couple of days already and I think it's time. Staying in this room any longer is only going to put more strain on you, so instead of getting stronger, you'll get weaker. And your progress has been immense!"

"A-are you sure?"

Goku nodded, the smile still on his face, but at the same time he also looked serious. "You're ready, Buffy. I've taught you all I know and now it's up to you to use it. And besides, I have a feeling that we don't have any time left. I think that something has happened outside and that you're needed."

Immediately, Buffy jumped up. "Something's happened? Then I need to leave now!"

Goku was suddenly behind her and gently pushed her back onto the chair. "Eat up first. You need your strength. You'll still have enough time for breakfast. Don't forget, one minute in the outside world equals six hours in this world. Nothing bad will happen in the fifteen seconds outside that you need to finish your breakfast and get ready."

With a sigh, Buffy obeyed and turned her attention back to her breakfast. Goku was right, of course, but she still felt anxious. Was everyone alright? What had happened? Hadn't they been able to find the Dragonballs? Had Vegeta managed to break through the wards that Willow and Tara had planned to put up around the Lookout? She hoped that they were all still alive.

Shuddering lightly, Buffy thought back to the dream she'd had about Spike so many months ago, more than year ago, almost at the beginning of their stay here and what it could mean. She didn't want to think of the worst.

And then the weird dream she'd had a couple of months back about Faith and her being back in her room in Sunnydale along with another girl that she didn't know. Faith had given that unknown girl her stake and then told Buffy to give Vegeta hell from her.

Again, Buffy didn't want to think about the implications. She didn't want to believe that Faith was dead, and yet something within her told her that it was true, that a new Slayer had been called.

After breakfast, Buffy got dressed in new clothes – the only clothes she had saved up and because of this hadn't been ripped to pieces during their training – fashionable jeans, boots and blouse.

Goku raised his eyebrows, when he saw her dressed like this. "Are you sure you wanna fight in _that_?"

Grinning widely, Buffy looked down at herself and even twirled around once. "Sure. I mean, I'm sure your gi is all practical and all, but if I have to die fighting, I'd rather die pretty."

Laughing, Goku shook his head and engulfed Buffy in a strong hug. "I'm gonna miss you."

"'m gonna miss you, too," Buffy mumbled into the fabric of his gi, feeling tears in her eyes. She had truly come to love this goofy fighter as one of her best friends in the past year and it hurt to know that she would never see him again.

They had talked once about where he would go, when they left the room, and he had told her that he would have to go back to the dimension where Shenlong lived. He had said that he and Shenlong were all alone up there, but that the dragon was good company. However, Buffy had thought she had seen his eyes turn watery for a split second – this had told her all she needed to know, that it he was lonely up there and missed his family.

"Look at us," he chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "Two great fighters…"

"…bawling like little girls," Buffy finished with a grin, as she pulled away. "Take care, Goku and say hi to Shenlong for me."

"Will do that. And please, tell my family that I love and miss them very much."

Buffy could only nod, as once again her throat felt very tight. She resisted the urge to hug him again and instead only smiled. "Goodbye, Goku. It was a great honor training with you."

"Likewise… And now, go and show Vegeta what a Slayer can do!"

They both knew that Buffy would never be strong enough to defeat Vegeta, but her strength had increased so much that she could almost rival a Super Saiyajin. Added to that her special Slayer senses and all the neat little tricks that Goku had taught her, she might just be able to delay Vegeta long enough. She was the only one, who could fight him – Goku was sure that none of the other Saiyajins could bear to fight against one of their own.

Goku watched, as Buffy walked to the door that led out of the Room of Spirit and Time. Her hand rested on the doorknob for a moment, as she looked over her shoulder and gave him one last smile, before she opened the door and walked out.

Sighing, Goku looked away, as the door fell shut again. He would never be able to walk through it again, having to return to Shenlong's dimension now. At least from there he would be able to watch the battle unfold and hope that Buffy could do the impossible.

* * *

The fresh and clean night air filled her lungs the moment she left the room and she closed her eyes briefly to enjoy it. It was amazing to feel the cool breeze on her face and to be able to smell all the smells of nature again. She suddenly felt so much lighter – she had completely forgotten that the gravity on Earth was so much lower than in the room. It was amazing – first now she really noticed how strong she had really gotten over the course of the past months.

However, this moment passed too quickly, as her senses reached out. There were low kis on the ground, probably belonging to her friends, but she could also sense vampires with her Slayer sense, and one of them stood out. That vampire was powerful.

Vegeta.

With a grim smile of determination, Buffy began to make her way across the Lookout.


	17. Villains

**Chapter 16: Villains**

Dawn screeched, when Pan suddenly stopped the bike, swerving until she could put her food on the ground. Pan was now looking over her shoulder, into the direction where the Lookout was. Dawn opened the visor of the helmet and yelled, "What the hell is going on? Why did you stop?"

"Do you feel that?" Pan only asked, ignoring her friend's outcry.

"Feel what?" Dawn concentrated her senses on the Lookout and suddenly her eyes widened. "Whose ki is that?"

Smirking, Pan replied, "I think that's your sister. Damn, she's become strong."

"Huh?" Dawn closed her eyes, trying to deepen her concentration on that ki. It was strong, really strong, Saiyajin-like strong, but at the same time familiar. The light swirl of darkness that she had always felt, when she sensed Faith's or her sister's ki – the spirit of the Slayer. But it was even more, there was the small part, the special part of the signature that made each ki unique. It was truly Buffy. "It's really her."

"Yeah, seems like she's come out of the Room before the two years were up."

"But… isn't that too soon? She could have trained in there for a couple of more weeks. Do you think she's ready to defeat Vegeta."

"Dawn…" Pan sighed. "I think you and I both know that Buffy, no matter how long she trained in there, would never be able to beat Vegeta. Hell, none of us can, we're all too weak. There's only one person who could stand a chance against him and this person is dead."

"Your grandpa…" Dawn was quiet for a moment, letting Pan's words sink in. She had, of course, suspected that Buffy wouldn't be strong enough, she had heard the others talk about the possibility of her failing, but she hadn't wanted to believe it. Because, what good would it do to go into that Room, to waste two years of her life to train under impossible circumstances, if she didn't become strong enough to defeat their opponent. "But… if only your grandpa can defeat him, why did Buffy even go into that Room?"

"Because she's the Slayer and she knew that this Room would help her to become much stronger than she is now. And she has become so much stronger and while not strong enough to defeat him, she can at least stall him long enough until we can call Shenlong." Pan looked turned her attention back to the bike. "And because of this we shouldn't dawdle any longer. The less time we need to find the Dragonball, the less time Buffy needs to last against Vegeta."

"You're right…" Dawn whispered and after one last look back over her shoulder, tightened her grip again on Pan's waist. The Saiyajin revved the bike and off they were again. The Dragonball was still a blinking red dot on the radar and it didn't look as if they were getting any closer.

Dawn just hoped that Buffy would last long enough and not die again.

* * *

Buffy was walking slowly across the Lookout, taking in the withered trees and plants and the stillness of everything. It was the calm before the storm, only that the storm was down there, on the ground. She hesitated for a second at the edge, taking a deep breath before she plunged headfirst into the deep. Wind was rushing past her, as she began to focus on her ki and raised it just high enough to dampen her fall, as she turned in the air and landed in a crouch on the ground.

She was standing in the clearing of a forest, at the bottom of a high tower. She remembered Goku telling her the name of the tower, but the only thing she could recall was that there was a being living on the top of the tower that looked like a cat and that this cat was the provider of those amazing senzu beans.

Shaking her head lightly, Buffy began to look around more, only to discover a couple of teepees on the other side of the tower. Apparently, someone was living here, but something felt wrong. It was too quiet. Taking one of the stakes she was carrying in her belt out, Buffy carefully advanced towards the tents and stopped suddenly.

No matter how often she had to, she wasn't sure if she'd ever get over the sight of dead people. A battle had obviously taking place – one of the teepees had been torn down and there was some blood, but the inhabitants of the tents had obviously lost. A family by the looks of it – a couple and their son, who appeared to be in his teens – had died. Still not lowering the stake, Buffy walked up to the three bodies that were strewn on the ground and knelt down next to one, turning the young man's head slightly.

Bite marks.

Vampires.

Of course.

"Who-who are you?"

Buffy whirled around upon hearing this – albeit weak – voice, stake raised. A shadow was emerging from the woods, tall and strong-looking. But when this shadow stepped into the light of the moon, an old man was revealed. He was holding his side and was limping strongly.

"Who's asking?" Buffy asked warily, still not lowering the stake.

The old man stopped a couple of yards away from her. "My name is Bora. My family and I, we're the protectors of Korin's Tower. At least we were…" His eyes filled with sadness, as they strayed to the three bodies. "Earlier tonight, when the sun fell, demons came from the forest. They attacked – my son Upa tried to fight back. He stood no chance and they drained the blood of him and his family. They killed my family."

"Why didn't they kill you?"

The old man was looking at her again, his eyes flashing in anger. "One of the demons stopped them. It said that I should stay alive as a messenger. It said that a woman will come down from the top of the tower, a warrior, and that I should wait for her. Is it you?"

"I guess. What's the message?"

"It said that it's waiting for you inside the forest. And that not all is what it seems."

Rolling her eyes and finally lowering the stake, Buffy grumbled, "Great. Again with the cryptic. As if I didn't have enough of that while I was training with Goku."

Suddenly, Bora's eyes lit up. "Goku? You've trained under Goku?"

"Uh, yeah… I was in the Room of… whatever its name was and Goku was there with me. And I had all kinds of weird cryptic dreams…"

"Then you can save us! You can defeat the demons!"

Shrugging, Buffy replied, "That's what I trained for, and even though I'm not sure I'm strong enough, I promise I'll try."

Bora smiled softly in a way that made Buffy feel a bit better about what was awaiting her. "Trying is all one can do. I wish you the best of luck on your endeavor."

"Thanks," Buffy mumbled a bit embarrassed. "Uhm… is there anything I can… do? For you?"

Shaking his head, Bora said, "Just go into the forest and put an end to those demons."

"Okay…" Buffy once again tightened the grip around her stake and walked past Bora. However, before she entered the forest, she whispered, "I'm sorry… about your family."

"Thank you… But… before you go? May I know your name?"

Throwing a quick grin over her shoulder, as she slowly disappeared in the complete darkness of the forest, she replied, "I'm Buffy."

Bora turned halfway around and watched how the darkness swallowed her, before he mumbled, "Good luck, Buffy."

* * *

Willow groaned, as she slowly started to stir. Everything was hurting, she felt so weak and she wasn't sure if she could open her eyes. What had happened? Where was she? The ground underneath her was hard and cool, but her head was resting on something soft and fingers were stroking through her hair. "Tara?" she mumbled, forcing herself to open her eyes.

"I'm here, baby…" Tara's soft voice reaches her ears. "I'm here…"

Immediately soothed, Willow finally managed to open her eyes and was surprised by what she saw. There were trees everywhere around her and she was lying on a mossy ground with her head resting in Tara's lap. She could also make out three figures standing in some kind of half circle around them – she recognized them as Trunks, Goten and Connor, when her eyes got used to the darkness. "Where are we? What's going on?"

"Somewhere in the forest under the Lookout. V-Vegeta managed to break through the barrier and this knocked both of us out."

"But Pan… she was back… with the Dragonballs! I felt her pass the wards. And then…"

"Vegeta attacked. He took one of the Dragonballs and threw it away. Then we scattered…"

"Oh…" Willow struggled to sit up. "Where are the others? Xander? Mirai?"

"We don't know," Goten answered this time. "They're all suppressing their kis. But that's a good sign. As long as we don't feel them, they're not fighting." Suddenly, a slow grin appeared on his face. "And it looks like another player has just entered the field." He looked at Willow and Tara. "The Slayer has just come out of the Room of Spirit and Time. And, wow, she's become _strong!_ Really powerful!"

"Buffy!" Willow breathed, a smile lighting up her face. She looked at Tara and saw the same hope shining in her lover's eyes. They were both sure that now that Buffy was back and ready to fight – and, if Goten was right and she has really become so powerful – that they still stood a chance.

* * *

What little light there had been from the moon in the clearing was now almost completely gone. But this didn't bother Buffy in the slightest. Her night vision, which had always been very good since she had become a Slayer, had improved even more with her return from the dead. This, in addition to her other senses, was guiding her to her destination – to the vampires.

In the past half hour since she had stepped into the forest, she had already turned five to dust, but the tingling remained. Just how many vampires had Vegeta and Drusilla sired in the past days? It hadn't been that long since they had arrived in this dimension. And yet her senses were telling her that there were still more out there.

Speaking of which…

The tingling intensified and just a second later another fledgling was just asking to be staked. The fight was short and to the point – or more to the pointy end of her stake. Still, the tingling wouldn't go away, which meant that there was more than this one stupid vamp very close.

"Come out, come out," she sang. "I know you're here…"

A low chuckle reached her ears and some leaves rustled behind her. "Fe, fi, fo, fum… I smell the blood of a nice ripe girl…"

Buffy's blood froze in her veins upon hearing the voice and these words. Visions of a dream returned to her, visions of… No, it couldn't be. He wouldn't… Never… She felt the weight of the ring resting against her chest, where she was carrying it on a chain.

And yet, when she turned around slowly, there he stood, leaning against a tree, black leather and all. With that infuriatingly sexy smirk on his face. Her senses went hairwire.

_No no no no no no no no no no!_

"Hello luv."

Buffy couldn't speak, couldn't think. What her senses were telling her had to be wrong.

He lifted a smoking cigarette to his lips and inhaled deeply, before throwing it to the ground and stomping on it.

As he took a step forward, Buffy took a step back. "Who are you?"

"Ah, I'm disappointed, luv… Not even two years, and you've already forgotten me."

"You're not Spike." _You can't be Spike._

Another voice filled the silence of the forest, a shrill crazy laugh. "Ah, you're wrong, little Slayer… He's finally again Spike. Little William is gone. Gone, gone…" Drusilla, as insane as ever, appeared next to the man who just couldn't be her Spike. Drusilla put her hand on his shoulder and he leaned down to capture her lips with his own. Buffy felt the bile rise in her throat. "Kill a Slayer for me, Spike?"

"As you wish, my princess…"

The man – no vampire – who couldn't be Spike (and yet, something inside Buffy told her that this was not a dream, not an illusion, not an impostor) smirked again and kissed Drusilla once more, before turning his full attention towards the Slayer. The expression on Drusilla's face bordered on giddiness, as she watched her vampire approach the Slayer.

"Stay away from me." Buffy raised her stake, willing her voice and her hand not to shake. Tears prickled in her eyes, but she blinked them away. Still, she couldn't suppress the quiet gasp of shock and pain, when the man's face transformed into the face of a vampire.

Now not even she could deny it any longer. Spike was gone. In his stead was a demon, a vampire.

And she was the Vampire Slayer.

"Now, don't be like that, luv."

"Don't call me 'luv', vampire!" she snarled, reminding herself over and over again that this was not the man she was in love with. This was a soulless demon. A vampire. And soulless vampires had to be staked. It was as easy as that.

Then why did she feel as if she couldn't fight him?

He took another step forward and she another step back.

_Come on, Buffy, _she berated herself, tightening the grip around her stake. _You've fought Angelus and sent Angel to hell. You can do this!_

And then, when Spike's arm shot forward, Buffy blocked his fist and retaliated with a kick on her own, which sent the vampire stumbling.

Yes, she could do this. Instincts. She had to rely on her instincts. This wasn't Spike in front of her. This was just another vampire, another soulless demon. She could do this.

Chuckling lightly, Spike advanced again. "Now, that's more like it. Let's dance, Slayer."

And a dance it was – a seemingly well-practiced choreography of punches and kicks, though none of them hit their mark. He was holding back, she realized with a start. But then again, so was she. She could have broken through his defense with ease, burying the stake in his chest within seconds, but something was stopping her. Something was holding her back, making her pull her punches, allowing him to block her hits.

And she didn't like this at all!

"Come on, Slayer! Is this really all you've got?" Spike taunted her with that infuriating smirk on his face, the smirk that she loved so much.

_He's not the man you fell in love with!_ Buffy reminded herself forcefully, though other voices in her head protested. She quickly squashed them. _He's a vampire!_

With grim determination, Buffy commanded her body, mind and heart to finally take this fight seriously. However, it was easier thought than done. Her mind knew what she had to do, but her heart still saw this man as the love of her life. With those two parts of her body warring with each other, it simply wasn't possibly to give everything – even with her Slayer instincts.

She grunted in frustration, as Spike once again managed to evade which would have been a well placed roundhouse kick, if her mind and heart hadn't been so at odds with each other.

_Damn it! Do it!_ she once again berated herself. On the sidelines, Drusilla was watching the fight giddily, clapping her hands each time Spike made a good move.

"Pathetic, really," Spike drawled, as they began to circle each other. "This is how you want to defeat the big, bad vampjin? You won't even be able to last a second against him! And you need to last a lot longer, if you want Pan and the Lil'Bit to find the last Dragonball."

"What does it matter to you?" she shot back, trying to think fast. She knew that he was right, but this was different. She could use her full power against Vegeta – after all, she didn't love him-, but then again, stalling against Spike seemed to be another way to give Dawn and Pan more time. If Spike was telling the truth and they really were looking for the last Dragonball. "Why do you care? You should be happy, if Vegeta killed me. After all, then you're free to rule this universe, or whatever you plan to do. Maybe he'll even give you your own planet to rule over."

Spike, however, only shrugged without another comment. Buffy's eyes narrowed. What was he playing at? It almost seemed as if he was also trying to stall, not attacking again, but taunting her into using her full strength.

"Fact is," he said at last, "that Vegeta is already on his way here and that you need to use your full strength when you face him. Me? I'm just here as a quick warming-up. Though I had hoped that you'd put up a better fight."

And then, he was at it again, and Buffy found herself on the defensive. Her eyes had widened, still making sense of his last words. A warming-up. That's what it had been! They way they had sparred just now – yes, it had been sparring, not fighting! – was just like what they used to do in Sunnydale before they tested their strengths for real.

Could it be…? Was he really…?

Suddenly, one of Spike's punches got through her defense – as deep in thoughts as she was – hitting her square in the jaw and letting her stumble a few steps backwards. She didn't fall, and needed almost no time to recover. Thinking clearer than she had just seconds ago, Buffy formed a small blue ball in the palm of her hand and threw it at the vampire. To prove her theory, they needed to get away from their spectator.

Spike laughed in delight, as he barely managed to avoid the ki-ball, which would have reduced him to ashes. "Now that's more… oomph..."

Spike grunted, as a hard kick collided with his stomach and then he was flying backwards. His back hit a tree, which cracked dangerously and then, he was again falling backwards, as the tree collapsed. The moment, he had gotten to his knees again, another sharp pain shot through his head and once again, he could only feel air around him, until his body once again hit something hard. Leaves rained down on him, but this time, the tree remained standing.

His whole body was aching and he really didn't want to move. He had no idea, how far he was from the small clearing, where the fight had begun, but the forest was once again dark around him. There was some rustling to his left and not even a second later, the Slayer was leaning over him, stake in her hand. She was really glorious, radiating with power.

Spike wanted to laugh. She had done it. She had surpassed the Slayer. She was a Super Slayer – Glory, Adam, and all the other Big Bads they had faced over the years, they wouldn't have had the slightest chance if Buffy had already possessed this power back then. The two years of hard training had really paid off and he was sure now that his Slayer could hold off the vampjin long enough for the girls to find the last Dragonball and put an end to this battle.

Just too bad that he wouldn't be there to see it. He had done his part and now it was time to say goodbye.

"You did it," he rasped, ignoring the pointy tip of the stake, which was now pressed against his chest. "You did it, Slayer. Nothing will stop you now…"

Buffy gazed down at the vampire underneath her, which was at her mercy. Just a quick jab and he was dust. But in reality, this was just a safety-precaution, while she was making sure that her revelation was really correct.

She didn't know, when exactly his game face had disappeared, but as she now looked into his blue eyes, she saw that they hadn't changed at all. They still held this spark she had always associated with Spike – vampire or human – and she could also recognize something else, something that had been there for the past two years.

"Spike?" she asked hesitantly, still not removing the stake from his chest.

"Yes, luv?" he whispered, hoping that she wouldn't draw it out any longer and finally end him.

"Do you still love me?"

This question came completely unexpected, completely surprising, but Spike could only smile, as he replied, "Always, Buffy, always. I fell in love with you, when I was still a vampire. And I still loved you, when I became human… And now, again as a vampire, I still love you of course. This will never change."

Buffy's chest restricted painfully and she couldn't suppress the sob that broke free from her throat. There were tears brimming in her eyes and she allowed a few of them to escape. "But Angel…and Angelus."

Spike's eyes flashed dangerously. "I ain't nothing like the Poof! Or his evil twin."

Much to his surprise, Buffy laughed, shaking her head and removing the stake from his chest. "Of course not." But then, suddenly, his face was hurting again, his nose to be precise, where Buffy had punched him. "You idiot! Why did you do this?"

Spike laughed through the pain. This was truly his Buffy. But he quickly became serious again, as he answered her question. "Just had to do something. Never liked sitting 'round doin' nothing. Just wanted to help."

"And letting yourself be turned into a vampire was helping how?"

Spike sat up, ignoring the pain that was still shooting through his whole body. Buffy held out her hand and helped him up to stand. "While Veggie was too busy with his family, I killed as many of his minions as possible. Some escaped, though, and I couldn't save that family living at the bottom of the tower 'cept for the old guy…"

_Not all is what it seems. _"That was you? You were the one who gave him that message for me."

"Yeah… would've hoped that you'd understand it a bit sooner."

"Sorry…" Buffy mumbled, both a bit sheepishly and also ashamed. She really should have realized sooner that, in a way, Spike hadn't changed at all – not when he became human, and not now. Spike wasn't Angel. Spike was just Spike.

Spike wiped one of the tears on her face away and just wanted to lean down to kiss her, when he suddenly heard something. "Hush… someone's coming." He quickly bent down to grab one of the pointy splinters from the destroyed tree, and gripped it tightly in his hand. And then, he only mumbled, "Sorry, luv," before grabbing her throat with his free hand and pulling her with her back against his chest, pointing the stake at her own heart.

Fear gripped Buffy's heart, as she suddenly found herself at Spike's mercy. The piece of wood was uncomfortably pressed against her skin and the grip onto her throat was tight. But she immediately tried to calm down, pushing away the fear that everything before had just been a trick – after all, they both knew that she could free herself easily, should the need arise – and telling herself that this was once again one of Spike's crazy plans.

A short moment later, Drusilla appeared behind one of the trees. She had looked worried for a moment, but then squealed in delight, as she saw the position Spike and the Slayer were in. "You did it, my Spike! You'll finally get to kill yourself your third Slayer."

"Took me long enough, if you ask me," he said coolly, pushing Buffy forward until only a few yards were still between them. "But there's something else, I should have done years ago… I'm sorry, Dru."

Drusilla looked confused for a moment, before a crazed glint appeared in her eyes, as she began to wail. "No! Not my William! Not again!"

And then, before Buffy or Drusilla could do anything, Spike was standing in front of his former lover, the stake buried deep in her chest. There was no emotion visible on Spike's face, as his sire turned to dust.

Buffy didn't dare to breathe or say anything – only once before had Spike threatened to kill Drusilla and that time he hadn't been able to do it. She still knew that Drusilla had meant something to Spike – she didn't know what his feelings for her were now, but Drusilla had given him a new life, he had loved her once, and had spent more than a century with her, loving her, caring for her… This really couldn't have been easy and Buffy felt sorry for him having to make such a choice. In the end, she was the Vampire Slayer and it should have been her job.

"Spike?" she asked eventually. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, her spider sense was telling her something, the warning bells ringing in her head. "Are you okay? Because I really think we need to get moving."

Spike turned to her slowly, a sad and at the same time proud smile on his face. "I did my part. It's your turn now, luv. Be sure to kick Veggie-boys arse for me."

"Yes, I'll do that, but we have to…"

Whatever Buffy wanted to say was stuck in her throat, as out of the darkness a bright blue ki-ball hit Spike in the middle of chest. He only had time to look down startled, mumbling "Oh, bollocks." before he disintegrated. Dust fell slowly to the ground where Spike had just stood moments before.

Buffy couldn't believe it. Just seconds ago they had been reunited and now… now he was gone.

Power shot through her veins along with her anger, as with a low and mocking chuckle, Vegeta stepped out of the darkness.

"Well, well, well, little girl… I guess, now it's just you and me…"


	18. Showdown

**Chapter 17: Showdown**

Buffy was seeing red. Her fists were balled tightly, as her eyes followed the Saiyajin turned vampire. Somewhere, deep down, the pain at losing Spike was threatening to tear her apart, but she pushed this feeling down. She could allow herself to grieve for him, once Vegeta was dead. Not sooner. For now she would only allow her anger to give her more strength and the fire she needed to fight Vegeta.

"You killed my fiancé," she hissed through clenched teeth. She opened her palms and in each of them a pale blue ki-ball was growing. "For this you will pay!" Buffy unleashed both ki-attacks at the same time, however, Vegeta only laughed, as he swatted them away with one hand as if they were just annoying little flies.

"Is this all you can do, Slayer? I had somehow expected more. I had thought you'd have more power than the other Slayer. And everyone has seen, how easily I've killed her."

Buffy's eyes flashed dangerously, but she hadn't even started to get serious. Those small ki-balls had been nothing. "Oh, believe me… this is just the beginning."

"Alright then…" Vegeta unfolded his arms and got into a fighting stance. "Show me, how strong a Slayer can get by hard training in the Room and Spirit and Time."

Buffy mimicked his pose and just a second later the air around them began to shimmer, as they both gathered their energies. Cracks appeared in the ground and the trees around them began to creak, when the powerful auras started to expand and meet in the middle.

And then the air around them suddenly exploded, destroying a large part of the forest.

* * *

"It's started," Mirai mumbled, as he looked up at the sky, where dark clouds suddenly appeared and seemed to be drawn to one specific spot over the forest. Lightning flashed across the sky and the ground beneath them started to tremble, as two incredibly strong fighters raised their kis. "Buffy and dad are powering up. They're going to fight really soon."

"And there's nothing we can do to help her?" Xander asked, as he was pacing back and forth in their hiding place – a small cave in the middle of the forest. He hated being helpless, he hated being just a normal weak human, now more than ever. When they were fighting against normal demons, there were at least little things he could do, but now, now he would only be in the way. Back to being the zeppo again.

"No, I fear not…" Mirai shook his head, but his fingers were itching. He knew that they needed to protect the Scoobies and that they probably wouldn't stand a chance against Vegeta, especially since they would be holding back.

Could he fight his own father? Emotions would get in the way. And while Mirai basically knew how to separate the demon from the man, he wasn't sure that the other Saiyajins could do that. They would see Vegeta and hold back. But at the same time, he couldn't just stand back and let Buffy fight. She might be a Slayer, but that's all she was. She might have become incredibly powerful, but he doubted that she was powerful enough to fight _and win_ against Vegeta, especially when he powered up to the second level or even higher.

Damn it! He had fought side by side with the Scoobies for six months, had been one of them. And now he was hiding, while Buffy was fighting to protect a world that wasn't even hers to protect and fought an opponent that, while being a vampire, really wasn't her responsibility. It really was unfair of them to let her do it alone. The least they could do was try to help her.

A white aura appeared around him, as he raised his ki. "What are you doing?" Xander asked.

Mirai flashed him a smile, as he replied, "The right thing for once. I'm going to help Buffy. Maybe, if I and the other Saiyajins help, too, we stand a chance."

"Good idea!" Xander grinned, rubbing his hands. "But take me with you."

"But why?"

"Moral support. And I've heard I'm pretty good at giving pep talks."

"And where Xander goes, I go, too, of course," Anya announced, putting her arm around Xander. "And who knows, maybe there are also some other vamps that need staking and we can do that, while you strong Saiyajins concentrate on the real big bad."

Mirai looked back and forth between them a few times, before he eventually sighed. "Alright, but if you die, I'm telling."

* * *

"What the hell is he doing?" Gohan suddenly yelled, as he noticed Mirai's ki flare up and move into the direction of the battle. "He's supposed to be hiding!"

Videl frowned – she had felt the power-up as well, and as a matter of fact couldn't blame Mirai for not wanting to hide anymore. "I think he wants to help the Slayer. You said it yourself that she can't defeat Vegeta alone. And you know that I hadn't agreed to the idea of hiding – you Saiyajins always seem so ready to fight and I can't understand why you're hiding like cowards now, just because your opponent is Vegeta."

Gohan looked back up at the sky again, where he now saw Mirai shoot past them, carrying two more persons in his arms. "I don't like this… hiding… but it's for the best. Pan will find the Dragonball…"

"We don't know that, Gohan," ChiChi now said to him. "We hope that she and Dawn will find it, but we can't be sure. I know that I've always tried to keep you from fighting, my boy, but you can't let that poor girl fight this battle alone. Vegeta is too strong for her. You have to do something."

Sighing, Gohan looked back at his family and especially Bra, who was hiding with them. "It's your father, Bra. What do you want me to do?"

Bra hesitated only for a second, before she said, "Fight him. And kill him. This demon is not my father."

"Alright." Gohan nodded. "Videl, Bra, please protect my mother, in case there are any stray vampires. I'll go help Buffy."

* * *

Mirai couldn't honestly say that he was surprised, when he was joined first by Gohan and then, just a few seconds later, also by Trunks and Goten. Except for explaining that Connor had remained behind to keep an eye on Willow and Tara, they didn't speak on their short flight. Their destination was lying right in front of them – it was easy to see, seeing as the two destructive energies had flattened a large part of the forest. This was their arena, their place to fight.

The moment they touched down, both Slayer and vampire had finished their power-up. Vegeta's hair and eyes were no longer black – he was now a Super Saiyajin. Only Buffy hadn't changed noticeably. There was a dark aura around her – the power of the Slayer and for a second Mirai thought he could see her eyes flash dark and strange markings appear and disappear on her face.

Buffy was aware of the new kis now close to them and she chanced a quick glance around. She grinned wryly. It seemed as if the Saiyajins had decided to come out of their hiding places to fight after all. "Thanks for joining us," she told them. "But I'm afraid that this is my fight."

Mirai, however, only grinned, as he walked up to her. "Sorry, can't let you do this. After all, you're about to violate the first rule of Slaying."

"The first rule of Slaying?" Goten asked confused, as he, Trunks and Gohan joined Buffy as well, while Xander and Anya chose to remain on the sidelines, close to the forest, where they could hide in case things became dangerous.

"Don't die," Buffy whispered, suddenly feeling guilty about what she had been about to do. In her vendetta against Vegeta, she had completely forgotten this rule. And Mirai was right. If she had fought against Vegeta alone, she would have died. And both Spike and Faith would have probably kicked her ass right back to earth, if she had dared to die, again. After having taken a deep breath, she turned to the one Saiyajin, who belonged to the Scoobies. "You're right, Mirai. I'm grateful for your help."

"What's this?" Vegeta scoffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest, as he waited for his opponent. "Five against one? I would hardly call this a fair fight."

Grinning brightly, knowing that they now stood a chance, Buffy turned again to face Vegeta. "Well, guess what, Veggie boy. In Slaying there's no such thing as a fair fight. To win, you use every advantage you can get. And this is what I'm – what we're - gonna do. Scared?"

"You wish."

"Alright, Veggie. Bring it on."

No other second passed, until the Saiyajins powered up to Super Saiyajin and, along with Buffy, rushed at Vegeta. The energy around the fighters crackled, as they met in the middle. For about two seconds, Xander and Anya had been able to follow the fight, but then, all they could see were blurs and explosions in the air.

"Damn," Xander cursed, as a shiver ran down his spine. If they ever had to face an enemy like Vegeta in their own dimension, he was sure that this would be a fight they couldn't win. Even with Buffy's new powers.

"Xander, we've got company," Anya pointed out, as she tugged at his hand. He turned around, only to see that several vampires were coming out of the forest.

He swallowed hard. They were too many for him and Anya. As he pulled out the one stake from his jeans, he saw that Anya was also taking hers out of the pocket of her pants. "Ready Ahn?" he asked, tightening the grip on his stake.

She nodded tersely, and then the vampires attacked.

Up in the air, the fight was hard and brutal. Kicks, punches and ki-blasts were exchanged too fast for a human, or even a trained fighter's eye to see. But even though the good guys outnumbered Vegeta, they just couldn't get through his defense. On the other side, he also had his fair share of problems with keeping his eyes and other senses on his five attackers. But in the short time they'd been fighting, Vegeta had already noticed several weaknesses in his opponents. Just as he had expected, when his and Kakarotto's sons had joined the Slayer, there were only two persons, who were going full out – the Slayer herself, of course, and the boy from the future.

It made sense, they were the only ones, who had experiences with vampires after all. His other son and Kakarotto's brats on the contrary were still holding back. He laughed. They saw his face and only recognized one of their fellow fighters, one of their _family_. Once he had taken care of the two more dangerous fighters, they would be easy targets and then he would begin to rebuild his empire.

Buffy ducked, allowing Mirai to send a ki-blast at his father, which Vegeta unfortunately swapped away with his hands. Without hesitating, Gohan and Goten attacked from behind, both of their legs lashing out at the same time. Once again, Vegeta vanished, but this time, Trunks was waiting for him, landing the first hit with his fist, however, he didn't put all his strength behind his punch, so it didn't have much of an effect.

Vegeta's head reeled back for a moment, but then he only looked at them, smirking. "This is all you've got? Five against one and this is all you've got?" He barked out a taunting laugh. "And while you're busy with me up here, you're friends are dying down there."

Buffy's head whirled around and first now noticed how Xander and Anya were fighting against vampires and losing. "No!" She didn't know what to do. She couldn't leave her friends down there, but on the other hand, she also couldn't just run away from her fight with Vegeta. She couldn't run away from the fight she had trained for for two years under terrible conditions.

Goten and Trunks exchanged a look. "We'll help them," Trunks announced. "I don't think we'll be of much use up here. We're sorry."

Buffy only nodded once, as Goten and Trunks immediately descended and joined her two friends. And even though they had apparently decided to save some strength and powered down from the Super Saiyajin, vampires immediately began to turn to dust left and right, as Goten and Trunks used ki-attacks to thin their ranks. Just how many vampires had Drusilla and the others sired in the two nights that they had the chance to do this? There were more than twenty down there. It was a wonder that Xander and Anya were still alive.

"And now, it's only three against one," Vegeta laughed again. "You will never win!"

"Don't be so sure of that, vampire," Mirai hissed. "Even if we can't defeat you, soon Pan and Dawn will find the Dragonball and then you'll die."

With a snarl, Vegeta lunged again at them. He would have to finish them first and then he had to find the two brats.

* * *

"How much longer?" Dawn yelled, hoping that Pan would hear her over the wind that was rushing past them. They were going so fast on the bike that everything around her was just one big blur.

Pan glanced at the dragon radar. "Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes, if we go on like this," she yelled back.

Dawn thought for a moment. Sure, the bike was going incredibly fast, but they could go faster, at least Pan could. And Vegeta was already fighting her sister and the Saiyajins. They had no time to lose. "Maybe you should fly. You'll be quicker this way."

Shaking her head vehemently, she yelled over her shoulder, "I can't. Then Vegeta will find us for sure. And don't worry about the others. If something happens, we can bring them back with the Dragonballs."

"Liar," Dawn replied. "We both know that a person can only be brought back once. Tell me, who of your family hasn't died and been brought back before?"

Pan didn't answer. Instead Dawn thought that the bike was going just a bit faster.

* * *

Trunks could feel the guilt eat him up from the inside. Here he was, one of the strongest warriors of the universe and he couldn't even fight against his own father. Instead he was now fighting vampires, normal vampires, beings that he could kill with a flick of his wrist. But what else was there to do? He wanted, no needed to feel useful and if this was the only way he could really help, then he would do it.

In the meantime, he tried to squash his guilt that he had left his other self, Gohan and Buffy up there all alone fighting against Vegeta.

He was pulled back to the present, when a snarl behind him alerted him to the presence of another vampire. He whirled around, ki-ball already in his palm and threw it at the vampire. His eyes widened in surprise, when he saw, who the vampire was.

"Mom!" he cried out, but too late, she was already dust. He stumbled a step forward, as if to catch the ashes, but a firm grip on his arm held him back. His blurry gaze landed on Xander, who gave him a sympathetic look.

"This was not your mom," he told her quietly. "Your mother has died the moment Vegeta turned her. Her soul has already gone to the afterlife. This was just a demon wearing your mother's face, just as the vampire up there is just a demon wearing your father's face."

"I know… it's just…"

"Don't worry, I understand. We can talk about it later, but for now, there are more vampires to kill."

Trunks only nodded and unleashed his anger on the nearest vampire.

* * *

This couldn't be happening! Vegeta was just too strong! Buffy had thought that she'd stand at least a little chance against him, but even with the combined forces of herself, Mirai and Gohan they barely managed to touch him, let alone hurt him. Since becoming a vampire, his strength must have multiplied tenfold.

Gohan and Mirai were both bleeding from several injuries already, while she was relatively unharmed. This was mostly due to the fact that they kept shielding her – machos. But all three of them were relatively winded.

Buffy chanced another glance down to the ground. At least Goten and Trunks had managed to destroy the invading vampires with relative ease and were now guarding Xander and Anya, just in case there were more. However, one of them, or maybe even both of them up here would be more than welcome. As if they heard her thoughts, Goten powered up again and took off.

But he didn't get far, as Vegeta used the second free of attacks to shoot a powerful ki-blast directly at the young Saiyajin. Goten screamed out in pain, as the blast hit him. He hadn't expected it, he hadn't been powered up enough to take it without being harmed much, and then dropped to the ground like a stone.

"Goten!" Gohan yelled shocked. He just wanted to go after him, but Trunks had already beaten him to it and caught his friend.

Still, this moment of inattention cost all of them. Before any of them could react, Vegeta attacked with full strength. Gohan was the first to go down, when one punch hit him first in the stomach and then a kick at his temple. The power behind these attacks was so great that even his having once been the strongest warrior in the universe didn't help. As everything went dark around him, Gohan thought that maybe he should have continued training, especially after the fight against Bebi and the dragons.

"One more down…"

Vegeta smirked and directed his palm towards Trunks, who was now catching the falling Gohan and putting him to the ground. Trunks managed to evade the first ki-blast but didn't have any time to power up high enough to take the second one head-on. A huge explosion rocked the earth and dust and smoke was whirled up. Once the smoke had cleared, Trunks was lying in a crater, not moving.

"Three down… only two more to go." He looked at Buffy and Mirai expectantly. "I will give you a choice. Surrender and let me turn you both into vampires. I will offer both of you, along with all the other Saiyajins, and if you wish, Slayer, your group of pathetic humans immortality. But if you continue to fight, I will kill the Slayer and her friends and only turn the Saiyajins. Now, what's your choice?"

Buffy and Mirai looked at each other. The situation was clear. There really wasn't a choice. No matter what they did, they would die at Vegeta's hands. Because there was one thing that they were sure of – with the other Saiyajins out of the picture, there was no way that they could win. Only a miracle could help them now – a miracle with the names Dawn and Pan. If they found the Dragonball and called Shenlong now, it wouldn't be too soon. But they could still buy some time for them.

"So, whaddaya think, Mirai?" Buffy asked with a raised eyebrow and a grin. "Fight?"

Mirai returned the grin. He, too, had come to the same realization as Buffy. Dawn and Pan needed more time and this was the one thing they could give them. "Til the end."

"Are you really sure about this Slayer?"

The answer to this question was Buffy rushing forwards. She lashed out with her fists and much to her surprise, managed to land a hit directly at Vegeta's jaw. His head snapped back and Buffy used the chance to bury her other fist in his stomach. It felt like hitting solid rock and Buffy gritted her teeth against the pain.

"Nice try," she suddenly heard a voice directly next to her ear and in the next moment, her whole body exploded in pain, as Vegeta's fists began to rain down on her. There was no chance to even block one hit. No possibility to duck. He was simply too fast and she too winded.

She knew that he was pushing her to the ground, but in her feeble efforts to defend herself, she hadn't noticed how far they had already gotten until she felt the hard ground under her back. Now, with Vegeta hovering above her and no way to escape, she was completely at his mercy.

No, this was too soon! She couldn't lose to him this quickly!

And then, he was suddenly gone.

Breathing hard, Mirai was standing with his back to her, his golden hair even spikier than before – and were there flashes around his body? – and his ki was higher, too. But he was now bleeding openly from several wounds and his clothes were scorched and torn. He ripped the remains of his jacket off, before turning to her. "Sorry… He kept me away with ki-blasts… You okay?"

Ki-blasts? Vegeta had been able to perform ki-attacks while he had been pummeling her? Now, this was really bad. And she had always thought that men weren't able to multitask.

"'m okay…" she groaned, as she shakily got back to her feet. Everything was hurting, but she wouldn't give up. Not this quickly. "Ready?"

"Ready."

Together, they lunged at Vegeta again, but already after the first round of attacks, Buffy found herself again face-down on the ground. Everything went dark around her for a moment, but she fought her way back to consciousness. Her body was protesting against moving, but when had she ever listened to what her body told her? With clenched teeth, she climbed to her feet again, only to see that Vegeta had somehow managed to overpower Mirai, while she had been down. Vegeta had both his arms wrapped around him from behind, locking Mirai's arms against his body.

"So, that's it, boy," Vegeta said. "Are you ready for immortality?"

"Go to hell," Mirai spat, as he tried to get free.

Chuckling lightly, Vegeta tightened his grip, stopping any attempt on Mirai's side to break the grip. "Oh, I think deep down you want this. The freedom, no morals keeping you away from your true potential."

"You're wrong," Mirai hissed, remembering his short conversation with Faith back on the Lookout. It was true, for a moment, he had considered it, but now he knew how stupid he had been. "I would never want to become a soulless demon. It's just wrong!"

"Let's see what you think about this, when you are one of us," Vegeta mumbled, game-face now on, and just wanted to sink his teeth into Mirai's neck, as he felt a light burning sensation on his back. He turned to look over his shoulder and scowled, when he saw the Slayer on her feet again.

"Didn't you hear him?" she asked, breathing heavily. "He doesn't want this."

"Well, too bad that I'm not giving him a choice. And you, little girl, better stay away, or I'll just kill you sooner."

"You wish." Buffy knew that she needed to get Mirai free, and this without getting too close to Vegeta's fists. Concentrating, she once again let two big ki-balls appear in her palms and let them go at the same time. Both hit Vegeta's back again, but they didn't leave any big marks. Just some small burn marks on the clothes. Damn it!

"I warned you, Slayer!"

Without using his hands, though Buffy had hoped that he would use them and therewith let go off Mirai, a huge shockwave exploded from Vegeta's body and she was again thrown backwards. Her back and head hit the ground hard and stars exploded in front of her eyes. This was so not of the good.

Shaking her head, she could only watch helplessly, as Vegeta now buried his teeth in Mirai's neck. The young Saiyajin cried out in pain, but just as Buffy struggled to her feet, she saw how the golden aura around Mirai faded and his hair returned to its normal color. His own struggling became sluggish and eventually stopped, as his body became too weak from blood loss.

"No…" Buffy whispered. She had to stop Vegeta. She couldn't let Mirai drink the other vampire's blood. One vampjin as opponent was already difficult enough.

With a war cry, Buffy forced her legs to move and jumped, tackling Vegeta. Her action must have surprised him, because he was forced to let go off Mirai, who dropped to the ground, not moving.

"You little pest! You've bothered me long enough. Don't you understand that you can't defeat me? That you can't stop me? Are you really this stupid?"

Vegeta grabbed Buffy by her throat and lifted her up. However, she only grinned slightly, as she started to feel lightheaded from the lack of oxygen. "No… I just… refuse… to give… up…" Buffy felt that her strength was leaving her, but when darkness finally began to claim her, she felt as if she was flying once again. She had no chance to break her fall, jarring bones and joints upon the impact. Her whole body screamed in agony.

Her gaze was extremely blurry, as she saw that Vegeta was still standing close to Mirai, but that one of his palms was pointed at her. She wanted to move, get out of the way, but found that she was too weak. Still, she continued to struggle, while blue energy was slowly appearing in his palm. She refused to acknowledge that this was it. She refused to close her eyes and let death come. She had to do something. There had to be some other way!

However, as Vegeta released the attack, she noticed something else out of the corner of her eyes – a dark blur, which was suddenly standing right in front of her the moment the ki-blast hit – not her, but the person in front of her.

A familiar voice screamed, as the ki-blast collided, and then the person collapsed right in front of her. Brown eyes staring unseeing at the dark sky, chest no longer moving. Buffy's mind was working slowly, too slowly. She didn't want to recognize the person that had sacrificed his life for her. And yet, it was inevitable, especially with the mournful cry coming from the edge of the forest.

Xander. Her Xander-shaped friend was lying lifelessly in front of her. Vegeta had killed him.

Tears appeared in her eyes, as her body was suddenly filled with new power, dark power, giving her the strength to stand up again. She glared at Vegeta, as she put the palms of her hands together at her right side. Something primal rose in her, demanding vengeance. After Faith, after Spike, losing Xander too was the final straw.

She could feel the ki rise in her, the power around her explode in one last powerful wave. Her voice was rough, filled with something raw and old, as she rasped, "Kame… hame… HA!"

The ki-ball between her palms grew with each syllable and once the final one passed her lips, she released the incredibly powerful ki-blast. Vegeta turned surprised, when he heard the familiar words, but barely managed to throw up his arms in time to block the blast. It hit him, head-on, and a huge explosion let the earth tremble around them.

Buffy put everything, all her power into the blast, until she finally ran out of energy. For a moment, when the dust cleared, she thought that she had done it, but Vegeta was still there. His clothes were torn and she could make out deep gashes and burn marks on his skin, but he was still standing.

_No…_

Her knees gave out underneath her, no longer having the strength to support her, and Buffy slumped limply to the ground. The last thing she saw was Anya running into the forest, obviously hiding again. _Smart girl…_

* * *

In the realm, where he was living with Shenlong after the fusion with the Dragonballs, Goku desperately watched the losing fight of the Z-Fighters and the Scoobies against Vegeta. Too many of the Scoobies had already died since they had arrived in this dimension, and he hadn't been able to do anything to prevent this. He wanted to help so badly – he couldn't stand seeing how she and all of his friends were defeated one by one - by one of _them_. And now they were all down – no one left to stand against Vegeta.

Screaming of helplessness he transformed into a Super Saiyajin and hit the ground with his fists, letting cracks appear in all directions. "That's not fair!" he yelled. "I should be down there, helping them, fighting with them. Damn it! I wish I were again on earth!"

Suddenly Shenlong's eyes glowed red and he roared in a thundering voice, "Done."

Those glowing red eyes were the last things Goku saw, before a bright light engulfed him. Blinded he closed his eyes and when he opened them again, he suddenly felt some familiar, though too low, power levels nearby. Confused he looked around and saw what he thought he would never see again. Earth. He blinked. "What happened?"

"Son Goku," he heard the roaring voice of the eternal dragon in his head. "I've fulfilled your second and at the same time deepest wish. After living with me in that realm for five years you've finally voiced it and I had no other choice but to send you back to earth. Farewell Son Goku and use your new chance at life wisely."

Goku blinked again after that voice subsided and slowly a huge grin appeared on his face. He was home! But from one moment to another, his face turned again deadly serious. There was a reason for him being back and he had to act – fast. Putting two fingers to his forehead, he concentrated on the bunch of weakening energies. _Don't worry guys_, he thought, _I'll save you._

* * *

The Slayer was still on the ground. So, that was really it, huh? All the hard training for nothing… She had given everything, used all of her strength and now she was too weak to move anymore and everything just hurt so much. Suddenly she knew – it was over. She would die – again. The third time and one thought now crossed her mind. Would she stay dead this time? Would she now get the chance to go to heaven or would someone deny her the peace she'd somehow fought for so long again.

At that moment she remembered again the feeling she had back then and again felt now, while she was watching how Vegeta slowly walked towards her. It was a feeling of relief and of peace, the same feeling she already had when she had jumped off that tower what seemed like an eternity ago. Spike had been right with what he had told her in the alley behind the Bronze after she had almost been staked herself – Every Slayer has a death wish. She had realized it before she had jumped into the vortex and she realized it again now. She wondered, if she would see Spike again. And Xander of course. Her Xander-shaped friend, whose body was lying only a few yards from her.

Gathering her last strength, in the hope of getting to a better place after that, she pushed herself up in a halfway sitting position, held her head high and looked directly into the vampire's eyes.

"That last attack," he asked curiously, "where did you learn it?"

Buffy smirked at him weakly but defiantly. "Oh, wouldn't you like to know?"

Vegeta appeared to hesitate for a moment, but eventually let it go. "You're a true warrior. You know you'll lose and yet hold your head high," he growled and bent down to her. He lifted her up by her collar, her feet didn't touch the ground anymore, and moved in to bite her.

"Come on… Veggie," Buffy said, a small grin plastered on her face, and silently wondered how her voice could still be that calm. It was really almost the same like the last time. Just that this time, it wouldn't be her to save the world. This time, it was up to her little sister and Pan. And she just knew that they would find the Dragonball in time. "Bite me."

"Die, Slayer." Vegeta smirked at her and sank his sharp fangs into her neck.

Buffy tried to suppress anything that could give away the pain he was inflicting on her and tried to stay awake, forcing her eyes to stay open as long as she could, but in the end she started to feel light-headed and everything around her became a blur. Her eyes slowly drifted shut and she prepared herself for the end, but it never came. Instead her eyes shot open, when she landed with a hard thud on the ground and heard a loud explosion on her left side. The shockwave of the explosion whirled up a lot of dust and smoke was rising into the sky. But while her eyes were still fixated on that point, one hand instinctively pressed onto the wound at her neck, Vegeta's head already shot upwards to a flying shadow in the smoke.

"Stop it, Vegeta," the shadow said. "It's enough."

Now also finally realizing that someone had somehow stopped the vampire from draining her completely, the Slayer averted her eyes from the remnants of the explosion and moved her head to the direction where the voice came from. The smoke slowly started to subside and revealed a tall man with spiky blonde hair, wearing a blue and orange gi. "Goku?" she asked completely confused, her mind still unable to register what exactly had happened in the last few seconds. The only thing she noticed was that her opponent's facial expression changed to a look of pure surprise and maybe even a bit of shock.

"Kakarotto," he just mumbled.

* * *

"Sir," the small blue-skinned employee of the check-in station for souls said hesitantly, as he and the dark-haired young man were standing in front of Enma Daiou. "Here's another one…"

"Another one?" Enma Daiou repeated incredulously, as he looked over the edge of his desk and saw the dark-haired human standing there.

The human grinned sheepishly and waved his hand. "Hey there…"

"What's your name, boy?"

"Xander Harris at your service," Xander replied. "And is this really the Afterlife? And are all those clouds really souls? And why am I not a cloud?"

Enma Daiou only sighed, rubbing his forehead tiredly. There was no Xander Harris on his list, just as there hadn't been a 'Spike'. Just like the woman called Faith the night before, these two men had been given back their bodies, though while the first one still emanated the air of a warrior, this one didn't seem special at all. Just what were the gods of the northern galaxies thinking?

"Bring him to the waiting area and make sure to answer his questions."

"Yes, Sir…"

The employee had to suppress several groans, as he tried to answer the stranger's questions as patiently as possible. So he was more than happy, when they finally reached the waiting area. "Here you'll have to wait for one of the Kaiou's to get you and bring you to the Dai Kaiou's planet. But don't worry, you'll have company for the duration of your wait."

"Great," Xander said, as he pushed the door open. "At least I'll have someone to- Spike! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in hell?"

"Xander! Finally a familiar-oomph!" Spike didn't get any further, as he was suddenly pushed forcefully against the nearest wall. Xander had gripped his collar tightly in his fists and had to resist the urge to hit him. "Bloody hell!"

"You traitor! You fucking traitor! We trusted you!"

"Hey! I didn't betray anyone! I infiltrated his ranks, you bloody idiot. Killed as many vamps as I could while he was busy with you guys," Spike quickly defended himself. "Buffy knows this…"

Xander sighed tiredly, finally letting go off Spike, as the anger left him. So that had been Spike's plan all along and while it was extremely stupid, it made sense – in a Spike-way. He slumped to the ground, burying his face in his hands. Spike slid down at the wall next to him. "And a fat lot of good it did. There were still too many. Trunks and Goten took care of them, but Vegeta knocked them out shortly after."

"And how did you get here, Harris?"

"Had to protect Buffy. It doesn't look good, Spike. Vegeta's winning…"

* * *

Pan suddenly stopped the bike in front of a steep rock face. She looked at the radar and then up again. "It's up there."

Dawn took off the helmet and got off the bike, followed by Pan. She followed Pan's gaze up at the wall. There, about halfway up, was an entrance to a cave. Dawn frowned. "There's no way, we can climb that… I think now we have to fly… Pan… Pan? What's wrong?" Out of instinct, Dawn reached out with her senses, only to feel two enormous kis near the Lookout. Her eyes widened. One of them clearly belonged to Vegeta, but she didn't recognize the other one.

There was a look of utter disbelief on Pan's face, which slowly turned into a huge grin. "Nothing's wrong," she told her. "Everything's gonna be alright. I don't know how, I really don't, but grandpa's back."

"Your grandpa? Goku?"

"Yeah! He's facing Vegeta now. Grandpa has never lost against Vegeta."

"So… this means…"

Pan grinned at Dawn. "We're gonna win. But we better still hurry and get up there. And I know of no faster way than flying. Grandpa will never let Vegeta get to us."

"Alright, what are we waiting for?"

Dawn clasped Pan's hand and together they quickly rose into the sky only to land in the entrance of the cave a few seconds later. It was dark in there, much darker than outside, but now that they no longer had to hide their kis, both formed ki-balls in their palms which lit up the cave.

"How far inside?" Dawn asked.

"A hundred yards… at the most…" Pan replied and began to walk through the tunnel, with Dawn following closely behind.

The further they stepped inside the more nervous Dawn got. In just a short moment, everything would be over. They would have the Dragonball and could call Shenlong. They could turn all the vampires back into humans and could bring their friends back to life. Faith, Spike – though neither she nor Pan had any idea what happened to him – and Xander. Oh, Xander… feeling his ki vanish was one of the worst things she had felt. They would all come back.

"Do you see anything?" Pan wanted to know, her voice echoing through the tunnel.

"No, here's no- ouch…" Dawn caught herself on her forearms, as she stumbled over a stray rock lying on the floor.

"Dawn, are you alright?" Pan immediately came over to her, helping her friend up.

"Yeah… just stumbled over this stupid… Dragonball…" she finished in a whisper, as she saw, what she had actually fallen over. Here it was, wedged into the ground. The force of Vegeta's throw had actually driven it through hard stone and yet it was undamaged. Carefully, Dawn tore it out of its hiding place. "We've found it," Dawn whispered in disbelief, and then in extreme happiness. "We've found it!"

* * *

"Vegeta," Goku replied, looking coolly at the other Saiyajin. "No… you're not Vegeta. Not anymore. You're nothing more than a demon." No matter how much this vampire looked and acted like his… rival? friend?... Goku should never forget that it wasn't him anymore.

Vegeta, however, only laughed loudly, completely ignoring his rival's comment. "So, that's how the Slayer learned the Kamehameha. You've trained her in the Room of Spirit and Time, haven't you?"

"Yes… and she was the most diligent student. I'm really proud of her." Goku gazed over his shoulder at Buffy, who was still only looking at him in disbelief. "She fought really well, but now it's my turn. I won't let you do this, vampire. I'll stop you."

"Finally, Kakarotto… You and me, no holding back, and I'll finally show you that I'm the strongest warrior in the universe. You won't stand a chance." With a scream, Vegeta's aura exploded around him and his ki began to rise again.

Goku didn't say anything, instead only clenching his fists and beginning to raise his ki as well. Buffy couldn't believe her senses. Goku's ki was rising to heights he had never shown in the Room of Spirit and Time. He had been holding back the whole time. And Vegeta as well. How could she have ever thought to have the slightest chance against the vampire? She might be the most powerful Slayer that has ever existed, but compared to these guys, she was nothing.

This power-up seemed to last forever, but then suddenly, a bright flash lit up the area, as once again dust was whirled up. The earth trembled underneath her and Buffy had to close her eyes. Her senses were screaming at her, warning her of the two most powerful kis she had ever felt. Feelings those kis sent a shiver down her spine – they were absolutely incredible, almost animalistic, and as she opened her eyes, Buffy could guess the reason for this feeling. The two Saiyajins had changed – this was a form she had never seen before. Was this still some sort of Super Saiyajin?

Their hair was again black and longer and red markings were around their eyes. Their upper bodies were covered in deep red fur and… and was that really a tail? And it somehow seemed as if they were taller…

Buffy suddenly knew that she and the other Saiyajins would have never stood the slightest chance against Vegeta, if he had accessed this form earlier. They would have dropped like flies.

"I'll ask you again to stop this, vampire," Goku said calmly, once both their transformations were complete. "Or I'll have no other choice but to kill you."

"Still the same weakling," Vegeta laughed. "Still letting your emotions rule you. You haven't changed at all, Kakarotto. But nonetheless, I will offer you the same as I've already offered our children. Come, join me, and together we will rule the universe."

"I must decline, but I'm sure you've already expected this. After all, you said so yourself – I haven't changed at all."

"Pity… Though maybe, once I'm finished with you, I won't give you a choice. Maybe I will force you to become one of us, whether you want it or not." Suddenly, Vegeta's head jerked to the right and a victorious smirk appeared on his face. "But first, I'll have to take care of two other nuisances. Seems like the two little girls have finally decided to stop hiding."

He vanished, followed directly by Goku, both of them moving too quickly for Buffy to see them any longer. Her eyes first found them again, when they reappeared a few hundred yards away in the air, with Goku blocking Vegeta's path. Unfortunately, now they were too far away for her to listen to their conversation. However, it was only a few words anyway, as they were rushing at each other only a few second later.

Buffy once again had to close her eyes, as dust was whirled up by the shockwave their collision caused. She wished she could open them again and see what was most-likely a most magnificent battle, but it simply wasn't possible. She could only follow them by their kis and the deafening bangs and explosions that echoed through the air with each hit.

She feared that, if she didn't somehow get herself and the others to safety, they wouldn't survive this encounter between the two super powerful Saiyajins.

However, just as she began the struggle to get to her feet, something changed in the air. A cool wind blew some hair into her face and finally curious enough, Buffy opened her eyes again. The explosions had stopped, Goku and Vegeta were hovering about a hundred feet above them in the air, and both of them were looking at the sky – Goku grinning brightly and triumphantly and Vegeta with an outraged look on his face.

Then she saw it, too. All the stars had disappeared. The night-sky was completely black. Could it mean… Did Dawn and Pan…?

Her thoughts were interrupted by an outcry filled with rage. Vegeta tried to get past Goku again, but again, the other Saiyajin blocked his path. Goku's voice was loud and clear, as he announced, "It's over, vampire. It's time to let the real Vegeta return."

"No!" the vampire yelled defiantly, as he once again lunged at Goku.

* * *

"He looks just the same as the last time," Dawn breathed, as the mighty dragon Shenlong rose before them.

Pan only nodded. "He never changes… So Dawn, do you want to do the honors again?"

"No," Dawn shook her head. "This time, it's your turn. After all, it's about your family."

"You have called me," the deep voice of Shenlong echoed through the forest. "I can fulfill you two wished within my power. What are your wishes?"

"Shenlong," Pan said loudly and clearly, "my first wish is to return everyone, who has been turned into a vampire in this dimension, back into what they have been before."

Dawn grabbed Pan's hand and squeezed it tightly, while they were waiting for Shenlong to fulfill their wish. And they both cried out in joy, as the dragon announced, "Done."

* * *

Vegeta didn't know what was happening to him. One moment, he was engulfed in darkness, without any awareness of passing time, bodiless, no longer feeling anything, and then, the next moment, he was yanked from the darkness and pushed into the light. Agonizing pain shot through his limbs and he couldn't suppress the scream that escaped his throat, as a myriad of feelings crashed down on him. A battle was waged, where he was now. He needed the space, but something wasn't willing to give it to him. But then, the pain intensified and the other presence was gone with an earsplitting shriek.

Added to this agony, another pain suddenly erupted in his head, as something hard collided with it. He could feel himself falling and then hitting the ground. Earth gave way beneath him, rocks cut his skin and his power and strength suddenly left him.

He didn't want to move, and even if he had wanted to, he couldn't. His body only obeyed sluggishly to his brain's commands. So first, when he sensed someone leaning over him, he opened his eyes. And for a moment, he believed his blurry eyes were betraying him, until his gaze cleared.

"Kaka… Kakarotto?" he rasped, clearly confused.

"Hello Vegeta," Goku said with a soft and relieved smile on his face, as he powered down. "Welcome back…"

"Back?" Vegeta asked confused. "What… happened?"

"Later," Goku waved him off, as the black sky behind him once again made way for the stars. "But now I'll have to get some senzus. Hang in there…"

"Vegeta? Vegeta?" A panic-stricken, frantic voice called out and suddenly Bulma was running up to them. Tears were running down her face, as she fell to her knees next to her husband and wrapped her arms around him.

Still too confused by everything that was happening, Vegeta allowed her to do this, and somewhere deep down, was even happy about this comfort. It felt, as if some missing part of him had been put back, right where it belonged.

Goku was still smiling, as he watched this reunion and mumbled, "I'll be right back." Before he disappeared, however, he saw the dark-haired young man, Xander, hurry over to where Buffy was lying, where they were joined only a second later by Anya and – his heart soared in happiness for Buffy – Spike.

It had been a hard and brutal fight, with many losses… but nothing the Dragonballs hadn't been able to fix.


	19. Epilogue

**A/N: So, this is it! The very last chapter of this story! I hope it answers the last questions (and I know, there's at least one new, but I just couldn't resist) and that you like this conclusion.**

**However, I know that not many people have read the story, but I'd like it anyway, if you who have stayed until the end (or maybe just started later, because I know it's been ages since I've started this story!) left a small review to let me know you're out there?**

**Thanks a lot!**

* * *

**Epilogue**

Buffy couldn't stop the tears that were running down her dirty cheeks, as she was tightly wrapped in Spike's strong and warm arms. Arms she had thought she would never feel again and a voice she had thought she would never hear again – at least not on this plane.

"Hush, pet… Everything's goin' to be alright…" Spike murmured comfortingly. "I'm back… The battle is over… we've won…"

"I know…" Buffy only whispered, as she buried her face deeper in Spike's chest. She was so tired and everything hurt so much. Right now she really wanted some sleep and strong painkillers – and not necessarily in that order.

"Look pet," Spike suddenly said and she could hear the smile in his voice. "That tall guy is back and he brought two someones with him."

Groggily, Buffy raised her head, but her eyes snapped fully open, when she heard a girl call out, "Buffy!"

"Dawn…" she murmured with a smile and just a second later, she was engulfed in another hug. New tears began to leak from her eyes, as she tried to return the hug with as much strength as she could muster. "You did great, Dawnie… I'm so proud of you…"

"Yeah, me and Pan really rocked!" Dawn announced grinning. "But you didn't do too badly yourself, as I've heard."

"Oh no, she really did a great job," another voice suddenly joined in. Goku knelt down next to them – he was grinning, too. "Only now your pretty clothes are all ruined."

"Damn," Buffy murmured with a weak smile. "I really liked them." She winced, as she moved a bit. "Uhm… you don't have any painkillers with you, by any chance?"

"No, sorry… But I've got something much better. Here, eat this." Between his thumb and forefinger he was holding something that looked remarkably like a bean.

"Is this…?" She had heard of these beans and their miraculous effects, but hadn't eaten one before.

Goku only winked at her, however, and dropped it in her palm. Buffy looked at it a bit skeptical, before she finally put it into her mouth and swallowed it. The effect was instantaneous. All the pain, all the weariness and all her wounds disappeared at once. Surprised, Buffy jumped up and looked at her body in disbelief. "This is… wow… thanks!"

"You're very welcome," the Saiyajin grinned. "Okay, now I've got to take care of the others. They need those beans, too. I just thought, you needed it most… We'll talk later, okay?"

"Okay…"

While Goku was taking care of and talking to his family, the other Scoobies slowly emerged from the forest and joined Buffy. Hugs were exchanged, tears flowed and laughter could be heard. The only thing that was missing was the Bronze or the mall to celebrate a 'Yeah, we survived another apocalypse!' Only that this wasn't strictly true. This time, people had died and they had only come back because of the Dragonballs.

It was thanks to the Dragonballs that her friends had another chance at life… Spike and Xander and… "Has anyone seen Faith?" Buffy suddenly asked, as she looked around her circle of friends and didn't see her fellow Slayer.

Dawn frowned, as she followed her sister's gaze. "No, and I can't feel her either… But she should be back. We wished that everyone who has been killed by Drusilla and the other vampires since they had arrived in this dimension should be brought back to life."

_"Geez, finally… I thought you guys would never miss me…"_ they suddenly heard a voice in their heads.

Their heads all snapped up and they turned around in surprise. "Faith?" Buffy asked. "Where are you?"

_"Still on Donkey Kong's planet… DK Jr. allowed me to talk to you through him. But don't worry. The wish worked, I'm alive. Halo's gone and all."_

"Halo?" Xander asked with a laugh. "You had a halo, too?"

"But why aren't you here, with us?" Dawn wanted to know.

_"I asked to stay a bit longer to train. After all, after all the special training B got, I didn't wanna be left out. And the guys up here are really cool. And who knew that aliens could be so hot! No offense, Mirai!"_

"Non taken," Mirai chuckled, as he wrapped his arm around Pan's shoulder just a bit tighter.

_"But B," _Faith's voice suddenly sounded serious. _"I'll probably get hell for it from the big guys up here, but listen… Ever since the moment my halo's disappeared, they've become a bit edgy… Worried. I get the feeling that they're keeping something from me… Yup, DK Jr. looks all guilty, so I'm right."_ She paused for a moment, before she continued, _"Me senses are telling me that something's coming, B. Something fucking big. So we better be prepared."_

"I understand," Buffy replied. Inwardly, she sighed. If Faith was right, then they'd never get a break. But that's why they were Slayers. There was always a big bad out there, just waiting to be slayed. "Just, train hard and be sure to come back in time."

_"Will do, B. DK Jr. is getting a bit restless, so I better end my call. So, take care guys and say hello to Giles and the others from me! And don't be too hard on the new mini-me! See ya in a couple of months!"_

A chorus of 'Bye Faith's and 'Take care's answered and then the connection was broken. A somber mood settled over the Scoobies, as they wondered what the high gods could be worried about, but it didn't last long, as suddenly the last missing group stepped out of the forest.

Buffy could see the bright smile lit up Goku's face, as his eyes settled on his wife. "ChiChi!" he called out, overjoyed, but the older woman only stared at her husband for a moment, before dropping in a dead-faint. Videl was, fortunately, quick enough to catch her, before she hit the ground and ChiChi woke up again only a few seconds later. Now, everyone seemed to expect a happy reunion, but they were once again surprised, when ChiChi just stalked up to Goku and began to slap him and yell at him for a few minutes, before she collapsed in his arms with happy tears streaming down her cheeks.

Now that everyone was there in the clearing, and everyone who had needed it had gotten a senzu, it was time to return to the Western Capital. It had been a long few days and everyone was in need of some rest and also something good to eat. Mirai and Pan had agreed to fly ahead to Capsule Corporation so that Goku could use their kis to bring everyone else to Capsule Corporation at once. Even Vegeta and Bulma went with them, though it was probably mostly due to the fact that Bulma refused to let go off her mate's hand and that Vegeta was still shaken from the whole experience himself.

Once at Capsule Corporation, ChiChi had immediately disappeared in the kitchen and returned just a short time later with a huge feast fit to feed all the Saiyajins and their guests. The sun was slowly beginning to rise in the east, but even though they were all pretty exhausted – despite the effects of the senzu – everyone was still too awake to even consider going to bed.

However, there was one thing this fight had done. It had brought the two groups – Z-fighters and Scoobies – closer together. When they had met in Sunnydale those few months ago, the only thing connecting them had been Pan and Mirai, but now that they had fought side by side against a common threat, they found themselves mingling with each other during breakfast, talking and exchanging stories. Laughter could be heard often and even some funny reenactments of older battles could be seen.

Everyone was very busy, so no one noticed when one or two of them slipped away sometime to get some fresh air. This was also the case, when Buffy decided to take a walk in the garden to get away for a moment. So much had happened and while it had just been a couple of days for the others, it had been two years for her. She had changed so much in that time and yet she was still the same. It took some time getting used to.

She inhaled deeply, the fresh morning air filling her lungs. It was such a treat to breathe this air after having been in the Room of Spirit and Time for so long. Everything had been so hard in there, and now everything seemed so easy. The battle was won and they could go home. Actually, they needed to go home as soon as possible. Giles and the others must be worried sick. Especially with the news of a new Slayer – the 'mini-me' as Faith had called her. So it would be best if they left later today, best would be directly after that huge breakfast feast that ChiChi had prepared for them.

Buffy enjoyed the walk for a few minutes, allowing her mind to drift, until she rounded a corner and suddenly tensed. There, under a patch of trees, hiding in the shadows, was Vegeta. He was leaning against one of the trees, his arms crossed and his eyes closed. She was surprised to see him here, mostly because she hadn't thought that Bulma would have let him leave her sight again so soon.

She wondered for a moment, if she should just turn around, hoping that he hadn't noticed her. She really wasn't sure how to act around him – after all, they had just fought to death a couple of hours ago. However, her thoughts were interrupted, when she heard his deep voice. "Slayer…"

Swallowing once, Buffy gathered her courage and walked up to him. "Hey Vegeta…" His eyes were still closed, his face unreadable. She wished she knew what was going through his head. She had only witnessed twice how people reacted, when they had lost their souls and had them returned again – and both times had been vastly different from each other. "How are you doing?" she eventually asked carefully.

Vegeta, however, only snorted, "Fine."

Buffy was still feeling uncomfortable, so as she opened her mouth, all that came out was a nervous babble. "You know, you don't need to tell me. But I just thought, hey, maybe I could help you a bit. And even if not, I know two people who have experienced something similar. I'm not sure if you know, but Spike, you know, my boyfriend? He used to be a vampire, before the Dragonballs turned him human and Drusilla turned him again into a vampire and you killed him. So, he could relate to what you've experienced. And another friend of me, Angel, he was one of the most sadistic and cruel vampires to have ever walked the earth until he was cursed with a soul and eventually turned human, so you could talk to him too, if you ever come to my dimension again…"

Whatever reaction she had expected from Vegeta, was neither the amused chuckle nor the words, "I really appreciate your concern, Slayer. But your mate and I, we've talked already. He's just left a few minutes ago, actually."

"Really?" Now Buffy felt even more stupid. "Now then… I guess there's nothing I can say anymore. Just… don't blame yourself for what's happened. It was the demon doing this, not you. Even with your past, even I can see that you're a good person now. You wouldn't have done any of those things, if your soul had still been there. Always remember this."

Buffy just wanted to turn to go, as Vegeta stopped her again. "Slayer?"

"Yeah?"

"Even if it was the demon you fought, I remember that you fought truly well. Maybe we could spar again, when we meet in the future?"

Buffy grinned. "Sure thing."

* * *

At about the same time, shortly after his very interesting conversation with Vegeta, Spike found the second person he thought he had to exchange some words with. The boy had managed to sneak away pretty early into the party and no one had really noticed him leave, mainly because he wasn't part of either group. Which was really sad, because though it was just a small part, he had done his part in this battle. He had first protected Dawn and then later fought against other, stray vampires.

"Mind if I join you?" Spike asked, though he didn't let the boy answer, as he sat down next to him. Connor only acknowledged his presence with a quick glance, before staring again straight ahead. Spike smirked – if he hadn't known it before, the brooding made it pretty obvious whose son this boy was. "So, Junior, what's on your mind?"

Connor didn't say anything for a long moment, but eventually he sighed, "I just don't understand."

"Care to elaborate?"

Suddenly, he jumped up and began to pace. "How everyone can just be so forgiving! One moment, they're fighting each other to death and then, they're suddenly best friends again! This guy, this vampire, was evil! And you and his wife let yourselves be turned into vampires as well. And now that you're human again, everything is well? How can that be?"

"That's the difference between being a soulless demon and a person with a soul. Usually, it's the soulless things, the demons, that we hunt and kill, though there are exceptions as well. You wanna know why we do this? Because they have no conscience. They don't know right from wrong and they like to be evil and do evil things. Usually, a soul changes this, though there's enough scum out there that does evil things despite having a soul. I daresay that Vegeta and I are pretty decent guys and that Bulma is a very nice lady on a normal day, but take away the soul, you have a couple of killers on your hands. I only managed to fight the demon because of Buffy, but I had taken a great risk. Could have gone wrong, but it didn't."

Connor sighed in frustration and kicked at the ground. "I hate this!"

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Pretty strong emotions for people you really don't know, but I guess this isn't about Vegeta or Bulma and even me. It's about your dear ol' dad, isn't it?"

"The first sixteen years of my life, I was told that my father was a killer and that even though he was human now and had a soul, he had done all those things in his past. The man who raised me even expected me to live with Angel, but how can I do that and call him my father, when I know what he's done!"

"Look, Connor… Listen, because you will never hear me admit this again. Your father, Angel, is a good man. He's been trying to find redemption for everything he's done, for the hundred plus years of carnage he left behind, ever since those gypsies have cursed him with that soul. By now Angel's been good and soul-having almost as long as he's been evil and soulless. Though, as I've heard, before he's been turned, he's been a pitiful excuse for a human, but then again, so have I, only in a different way. So, I've gotta say, having been evil has given us some perspective and Angel is working really hard to make up for all the bad things. You're working with him, you should have noticed that."

"I have…" Connor only murmured. "It's just difficult to accept…"

"I never said it'd be easy. 'm just saying to give your ol' dad a chance. He's got his heart at the right place. He'll be a good dad, if you let him."

"I'll… think about it…"

"That's all I can ask of you…" Spike rose again and clapped Connor on the shoulder. However, before he left, he whispered, "If you repeat anything of what I've just said to you to anyone else…" He let the threat hanging, knowing fully well that after having spent sixteen years in a hell dimension, there probably wasn't much that would scare the boy.

* * *

It was about noon that the Scoobies decided it was time to leave. The Z-fighters understood their need to go home as soon as possible, knowing the circumstances under which they had arrived. Pan and Mirai especially, both knowing how Giles could get if he was worried. So it was a goodbye with promises of 'see you soon', as neither of them didn't want to wait so long again to see their friends from the other dimension again. And, after all, as Pan had pointed out, she and Mirai still wanted to get married in Sunnydale.

After one last round of hugs – no one was surprised, when Buffy shared a very teary goodbye with Goku, after they had heard that he had trained her in the Room of Spirit and Time – the Scoobies stepped through the portal that would bring them home.

Just as for the Z-fighters months before, the portal opened in a crypt so the Scoobies disturbed the beauty sleep of some vampires, as they stepped out of it. However, these vampires never stood a chance, not after what the Scoobies had to fight in the other dimension, so they were dust just seconds after being woken.

Buffy grinned. "I love being home."

Fortunately, the cemetery was pretty close to the main street and also to the Magic Box, where they expected the others to be at this time of the day, so it was a short walk. The bell above the door jingled – and Buffy winced as she heard the sound; in the past two years she had almost forgotten how annoying it was, always reminding her of that stupid time loop and the mummy hand – announcing their entrance.

"Welcome to the Magix Box, how can I… Buffy!" Cordelia cried out in surprise. "Hey everyone, it's Buffy! They're all back!"

"Hey!" Anya suddenly called from the behind the group, as she pushed her way forwards. "What are you doing? This is my job! Go away!"

However, no one heeded her, as Giles, Angel and Wesley, who had been sitting in the back of the shop, all jumped up and stormed to the front. Giles was the first one who got to Buffy and was hugging her tightly. When he finally let go, he took off his glasses to clean them, as he said, "Thank god you're back… We've been so worried about you… What happened…?" He put the glasses back on his nose and suddenly frowned. "You look different…"

Buffy shrugged with a sheepish grin. "Long story. You might need a whole pot of tea until we get to the end of it. Oh, and you might wanna sit down, too."

"This is… incredible…" Giles could only mumble, as he was once again rubbing his glasses for about the thousandth time since the Scoobies had begun their story. It was already close to sunset and they had had to order some food, despite the fact that they had had this huge feast in the other dimension. "And Faith… she'll really be back? I mean, the Council called us about a new Slayer being called, so is she really alive?"

"Alive and kicking, only in the Afterlife for now. She said she'd be back in a couple of months. And Giles, this isn't everything… Faith said something…"

But what it was that Faith had told them was something that Giles would first find out later, because at this moment the bell above the door jingled again – Buffy truly resisted the urge to rip it off, especially when she saw, who it was.

She got up nervously and walked up to the plump red-haired woman. "Hello Ms. Kroger… How are you?"

"Miss Summers," the social worker said in a clipped voice. "How nice of you to finally return. Ah, and I see your sister is here, too. Would you care to explain your sudden absence? Her teachers at school have been worried and eventually told me that I might find you here, when you weren't at home or at work. Besides, is it true that you haven't shown up at work either in the past few days?"

Buffy froze, not knowing what to do or say. This was bad, so very very bad. "There's been an emergency. A family emergency and we had to leave immediately."

"Is that so?" Ms. Kroger raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "Miss Summers, I've already given you a warning, just a few days ago. We had believed that you and your boyfriend took your sister and moved away from Sunnydale. You both could be charged with kidnapping of a minor, if this proves to be true."

"No, this isn't what it looks like," Buffy protested. After everything she had gone through, why couldn't she and her family get a break for once?

"Is there a problem?" Spike asked, as he and the other Scoobies stepped forward. Dawn glared at the social worker, as she took Buffy's hand and squeezed it tightly.

"No matter what it looks like, Social Services have decided that for now it would be better for Dawn, if she went into foster care immediately. There's a nice family in Los Angeles, willing to take her in until we've cleared this matter. There will most likely be a hearing."

"No!" Buffy replied again. "You can't do that… She's…"

"Buffy…" Dawn said softly, as she once again squeezed Buffy's hand.

"No Dawn… I can't…"

"It's okay…" Dawn reassured her. "I'll go with her to that family. And once they know that everything is alright, I'll come back. And even if it doesn't work out… It's just a bit more than one year and then they can't stop me from coming back…"

"Dawnie… no…"

But Dawn didn't listen to her sister, already feeling her own tears in her eyes. "I'll come with you, but I need to go home to pack a few things."

"This sounds reasonable," Ms. Kroger nodded. "I will pick you up in one hour. The next bus to Los Angeles leaves in two hours. I will accompany you on this trip and bring to you to the Bakers in person. I'll call them to let them know to expect us tonight."

"Alright." Dawn swallowed hard.

"Don't do anything stupid that could worsen the situation, Miss Summers," Ms. Kroger warned Buffy, before she again turned to Dawn. "One hour."

No one moved until the social worker had left the Magic Box. The bell jingled again and this time, Buffy walked up to it and ripped it off for good.

"Is she a demon?" Xander asked with barely suppressed rage. "Can we kill her?"

"No," Dawn said forcefully, pushing the tears away. "This is for the best. You know it is, Buffy. At least for now. Let things settle down, let them find out that you're a good guardian for me. And then I come back, I promise."

"I don't like it…" Buffy mumbled, hugging Dawn tightly.

"I don't like it either… but, can we go home now? I need to pack."

"Okay…" Buffy sighed, as she let go. "Sorry, guys…"

"We'll come with you, of course," Giles told her. "Let that… that… woman… see that you have friends who are willing to stand by you."

"But we'll better leave," Angel told them. He hugged Dawn briefly. "If you need anything in LA, drop by at the Hyperion."

"I will… See, Buffy? I have Angel and Connor and everyone else in LA."

"Thanks, Angel," Buffy said, as she squeezed his hand.

* * *

No one was talking much, everyone just sitting or standing around at 1630 Revello Drive. Buffy and Dawn were upstairs, packing some clothes and personal belongings for Dawn. Should Dawn really need to stay with that foster family longer than planned, they would need to send her more, but for now, it should be enough.

"Here," Buffy said at last, just as Dawn wanted to close her bag, and handed her sister a small stuffed pig.

"Mr. Gordo…" Dawn mumbled. "But he's yours…"

"I'd rather you have him now. He can watch out for you, especially on Tuesdays."

"Ha ha, very funny, Buffy…"

The doorbell rang. Too soon for both of their liking.

"Dawn…"

"No, Buffy… I'll be back. If it's in a few weeks or next year, when I'm eighteen. You won't get rid of me that easily."

"I know… You're too annoying for this…" Buffy whispered with a small grin, as she let her fingers run through Dawn's long hair. "Let's go…"

The others were waiting downstairs and Giles had already opened the door for Ms. Kroger. She seemed surprised by the amount of people wanting to say goodbye to Dawn and they didn't pay her any attention, as Dawn embraced everyone and exchanged a few words with them. It was first ten minutes after the appointed time that Dawn was ready to leave and sitting in the passenger seat of the social worker's car, still holding Mr. Gordo in her hands.

"Everything will be alright, Dawn," Ms. Kroger said in what Dawn thought was supposed to be a comforting voice. Honestly, it was just grating on her nerves. "The Bakers are really nice and they will take good care of you. Nothing will happen to you in LA, I promise."

"You're making a mistake, you know?" Dawn said in a cool voice.

Ms. Kroger glanced at Dawn, waiting for her to say more, but the teenager remained silent. So she stayed quiet as well.

* * *

Buffy had retreated to Dawn's room once her sister had gone with the social worker. She was lying on her sister's bed, clutching one of her pillows to her chest. She didn't react, as the door opened behind her and the mattress sank under some additional weight. She welcomed Spike's arms around her and his comforting words, just as she had already done earlier this morning.

"Did I make a mistake?" she murmured.

"We all made a bloody big mistake," Spike replied quietly. "We should have known before this mess that Dawn was having problems. We should have stepped in before Social Services found out about it. But we can't change it now. All we can do now is wait and hope for the best… I think…"

"I kinda like Xander's idea of killing that woman…"

Spike chuckled. "So do I, but unfortunately, she's human."

"I know… And there's really nothing else we can do right now?"

"Short of going to the bus station and getting Dawn out of there, no…"

Suddenly, Buffy sat up, a look of determination on her face. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and got up.

"Luv? What are you doing?" Spike asked confused, but inwardly he already knew it. And he liked it.

"I'm getting Dawn back," she announced forcefully. "That woman has no right to take her from me. I'm her sister. Mom asked me to take care of her and that's what I'm gonna do."

Spike got up as well and grabbed Buffy's shoulders. "Good. Go and don't come back without Dawn!"

* * *

Once at the bus station, Ms. Kroger bought two tickets for them – she wished she could make the trip in her own car, but she didn't trust the old thing to run all the way to Los Angeles and back again, so the bus it was – and went with Dawn to a bench to wait for the bus. It was dark by now and they were the only people at the station. She grew a bit uncomfortable in the darkness. Maybe she should have waited until morning, but the orders from her superiors had been clear. Remove Dawn Summers from her sister's care immediately.

Everything was quiet, too quiet, so she jumped, when there was a noise right behind them. "Hello?" Ms. Kroger asked warily. If only the bus came soon. "Is someone there?"

"Stop talking," Dawn suddenly hissed next to her, the first words she had spoken since in the car. "Or do you want to draw attention to ourselves?"

"Now, now… look what we've got here…" a voice chuckled.

Dawn turned into the direction of the voice and rolled her eyes, as three vampires stepped out of the darkness. "Too late…"

"Excuse us, gentlemen," Ms. Kroger said nervously – the fear was more than evident in her voice – "we're just waiting for the bus."

"_We're just waiting for the bus_," one of them mimicked cruelly. "No, you're not waiting any longer. Now, you're just an easy dinner."

Ms. Kroger screamed, as all three vampires slipped into their gamefaces. "Ah, I love it, when they scream," the third one hissed, however, when he saw that Dawn was just watching them coolly, he stepped closer to her. "But you don't scream, little girl. Why's that?"

Dawn smirked. "Because I have this." She pulled a stake out of her belt and pushed it right into the vampire's chest, piercing his heart. He turned to dust right after she pulled her stake out again. "And you're dust."

"Slayer!"

"Wrong girl," another voice replied. "Cause that's me."

"Buffy!" Dawn cried out in surprise and joy. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving your ass, apparently," Buffy quipped, as she quickly evaded the blow of another vampire.

"I don't need any saving," Dawn countered, fighting her own vampire. "I can take care of myself."

Rolling her eyes, Buffy pushed her vampire away. "I know that, but as your big sister, it's my job to save you."

"Blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda," Dawn mocked her, kicking her vampire in the chest and sending him stumbling to where Buffy's was just regaining his composure. Both vampires snarled at their opponents, but it was their last snarl, as just a split second later, both exploded to dust and the two sisters were hugging tightly.

"I'm sorry, Dawn. I just couldn't let you go," Buffy murmured.

"And I really don't want to go…"

Buffy and Dawn were still hugging, when Ms. Kroger's terrified voice asked, "What's going on here? What were those men? I demand an explanation!"

"My sister and I just saved your sorry a—uh, behind from a couple of vampires," Dawn told her coolly, leaving the embrace but not letting go of Buffy's hand. "If it weren't for us, you'd be dead by now."

"V-vampires?"

"Yes, they're real along with all the other monsters from your nightmares," Buffy explained. "And I'm one of the persons who's killing them. Actually, that's the real reason why we had to leave for a few days. There was this big bad who wanted to destroy the world and we had to stop him. You don't believe us? Tough! Fact is, Dawn isn't going anywhere except home with me. Call the foster family and your superiors and tell them it's all one big mistake. Dawn belongs with me and my family."

When Ms. Kroger didn't say anything, Buffy smiled and wrapped her arm around Dawn's shoulders.

"You think we broke her?" she asked innocently.

"Nah… I think she's just realizing a few things she has never noticed before in this town," Dawn replied equally innocently, but then, with a tired voice, she asked, "Buffy… can we go home now?"

Squeezing her shoulder, Buffy said smiling, "Yes… Let's go home…"

They turned away and left a very astounded social worker behind, who was watching their retreating backs with something akin to understanding and fear in her eyes, and listening to the carefree banter of the two walking girls.

"And by the way," she heard Buffy say in an annoying big-sister voice, "don't forget to move Mr. Gordo back into my room. Now that you're back home, I don't need him to watch out for you anymore."

"Yeah, right… admit it. You just want him back to snuggle with him, because Spike doesn't give you any," Dawn taunted.

"Dawn Summers! I just didn't hear you say that! You're way too young to think about something like that!"

"Really? Because I've been having some thoughts about a certain doe-eyed sixteen-year-old."

"Ew!" Buffy shrieked. "You're not having any thoughts about Connor! He could've been your nephew!"

Laughing, Dawn quickly assured her, "Just kidding! Just kidding! We're just friends, or at least, will be, once we get to spend some more time together. We really started to bond in the other dimension, before this whole thing with Vegeta happened."

"Alright. But if there's any chance that you two might get closer than just being friends, I'll never let you visit him in LA again, be sure of that!"

A slow smile appeared on Ms. Kroger's face, as the voices of the two bickering young women faded away. Maybe, letting Dawn stay with her sister, wasn't a bad idea at all.


End file.
